Trump rallies in Butler for first time since attempted assassination: Live

Elon Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla, made the brazenly false claim that Democrats were going to eliminate elections in the US as he rallied onstage next to Donald Trump on Saturday night.

Trump — returning to the site where he was nearly assassinated in July — introduced Musk as the man who “saved free speech“ and as a “rocket builder,” claiming his company Space X was the only reason that American astronauts can return to space.

The world’s wealthiest man took the stage in a black “Make America Great Again” hat and told the crowd he was “dark MAGA” — seemingly referencing the fringe far-right meme — before taking a swipe at President Joe Biden and suggesting that Democrats were trying to strip away Americans’ rights to free spech, to bear arms, and to vote.

Trump repeated his false statements that tens of thousands of migrant children are missing or dead or “in slavery.”

He blamed Kamala Harris for children he claims are “dead, in slavery or just plain missing” after crossing the US-Mexico border.

He is radically misrepresenting a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general that blamed ICE for failing to consistently “monitor the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children” once they are released from federal government custody.

The report noted that more than 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children had not, as of May 2024, received a notice to appear in court. But there are many reasons why that would happen, from missing or not-yet updated paperwork to families who failed to make it to court, among other reasons.

His statement also comes as he faces scrutiny once again for his administration’s own family separation policy, in which federal authorities separated children including infants from thier parents or guardians after entering the US. Thousands had not yet been reunited with their families as of earlier this year.

Thoughout his rally, Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the Biden-Harris administration response to Hurricane Helene is “the worst job ever done on helping people through the ravages of a hurricane” — including Hurricane Katrina.

Trump has falsely claimed that the federal government’s emergency agencies have misspent billions of dollars or not at all.

“This is a Katrina for them,” he said on Saturday. “They say it’s the worst job ever done on helping people through the ravages of a hurricane.”

Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, spoke onstage at a campaign rally alongside Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, marking the first time that the billionaire has publicly campaigned with the former president since declaring his support this summer.

Elon Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla, made a plea for Americans to vote for Trump during the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

He said he believed that if Trump loses, it would be the last election in America, insinuating that Democrats would eliminate elections under a Kamala Harris administration.

There is no evidence supporting that claim.

Donald Trump Elon Musk up to the stage during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and claimed that SpaceX was the “only reason” America can still send astronauts into space.

Musk came up tot he stage and took a swipe at Joe Biden, calling him a president who “couldn’t climb a flight of stairs” before comparing him to Trump, praising the former president for taking a bullet.

He then falsely claimed that Democrats were trying to take away Americans’ rights to vote, their right to bear arms, and their right to free speech.

Trump said more than “13,000 murderers” have been let into the US during Joe Biden’s administration.

During his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, he said countries “all over the world” were releasing muderers and human traffickers into the US.

There is no evidence supporting Trump’s claim that countries are intentionally “releasing” anyone into the US.

Trump boasted about his properties and the “beautiful life” he could have if he weren’t running for president during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I could have such a beautiful life,” Trump said, before boasting of his properties. “I could be in Monte Carlo, but I’d rather be in Butler.”

A short time later, someone in the crowd suffered a medical issue, briefly interrupting the rally. Trump stopped, saying “take your time, doctor” and waited for the individual to receive medical care before continuing.

During the downtime, the crowd started singing the national anthem.

Trump suggested on Saturday during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania that migrants in “holding bins” were being given government sponsored “sex change operations.”

“Who wants sex change operations for illegal aliens in holding bins?”

The dubious claim has been a frequent talking point among Republicans, who have made both illegal immigration and opposition to transgender individuals a main focus of the 2024 campaign.