An array of business leaders offered words of support and condemned political violence Saturday night and Sunday morning after a gunman saved Donald Trump from an assassination attempt during a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.
One spectator was killed and Trump was injured after having his ears pierced before being removed by Secret Service agents.
“We wish President Trump a speedy recovery,” Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook wrote, adding that he “strongly condemns these acts of violence.”
It was a sentiment shared by many.
“It’s absolutely awful,” Amazon (AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy said.
“Our former president showed extraordinary grace and courage tonight, even while under literal attack,” added Jeff Bezos, Mr Jassy’s predecessor.
The supportive sentiment was felt across the political and business worlds and was echoed by many top leaders, including some who have long been at odds with Trump.
“We wish President Trump a speedy recovery,” META CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote. “Political violence is an undermine of democracy and must always be condemned.”
Similar comments were made by CEOs of Microsoft (MSFT), Airbnb (ABNB), Alphabet (GOOG), and others.
“This is a very tough night for our country,” Intel (INTC) CEO Pat Gelsinger added.
Trump was taken to hospital after the attack, where he was examined and released. He thanked emergency responders online and a campaign spokesman said in a statement he was “Fine.”
The former president has since returned to New Jersey, and posted Sunday morning that he looks forward to speaking at the Republican National Convention later this week.
The Secret Service said the suspect was killed in the attack “from an elevated position outside the rally venue,” and two other people at the rally were seriously injured.
President Joe Biden and political leaders from both parties and world leaders also voiced their support. “This kind of violence has no place in America. This is sick. This is sick,” the president said in a televised address.
He then spoke with Trump by phone later in the evening.
I’m so glad President Trump is safe!
— Sam Altman (@sama) July 14, 2024
New political support for Trump
The fallout also garnered new political support for the former president in his campaign against President Biden.
Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said just 30 minutes after the shooting that he “fully supports President Trump and wishes him a speedy recovery.”
He also appeared to endorse J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate later that day, making a series of comments that included an attack on the Secret Service.
Musk’s public endorsement isn’t necessarily surprising: He’s a longtime admirer of Trump and critic of Biden, and The Wall Street Journal recently reported that he speaks with Trump multiple times a month on a range of issues.
The endorsement also came after Bloomberg reported on Friday night, before the shooting, that Musk had made his first donation of 2024 to America PAC, a super PAC aligned with Trump.
In the aftermath of the riot, Trump gained a new official backer from the business community when Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman formally endorsed him.
Like Musk, Ackman has long been a critic of Biden and supporter of Trump, but he said in his post that he “came to this decision some time ago” and that it would come as no surprise to his followers.
Ben Warschle is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.
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