Trump and Elon Musk prepare supporters to reject election results during Butler event

After returning to Butler County for the first time since the assassination attempt on his life, Donald Trump gave a rambling 90 minute speech and prepared his supporters to once again not accept an election defeat. 

The national media billed it as a “somber” and “emotional” return to Butler County for Donald Trump, but what the former president’s visit on Saturday actually involved was him rambling for over 90 minutes, spreading lies and misinformation about the upcoming election, and inciting his supporters to not accept the results if he loses. 

Saturday marked the first time Trump returned to the Butler County Fairgrounds since the assassination attempt on his life on July 13. 

At one point during his speech, Trump asserted that Corey Comperatore, a local firefighter who was shot and killed during the attempt on Trump’s life, had the best seats in the house. 

“Helen [Comperatore] told me that on the day that they came to the rally, Corey was really excited because somebody gave ’em great seats right up front here with the people from North Carolina,” Trump said. “But Corey had the best seat in the house, and he was telling his wife and family on the way over in the car. He said, ‘I’m telling you, he’s going to invite me up on the stage.’

Trump then rambled and lied about President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ response to Hurricane Helene, saying it was “the worst hurricane response by a president and vice president since [Hurricane] Katrina.” 

Trump has spent much of the past week spreading lies, conspiracy theories, and misinformation about the federal response to Helene, even as leaders of both parties and local first responders have praised the federal response.

A little more than an hour into his meandering speech, Trump began priming his supporters to not accept the upcoming election results if he were to lose next month’s presidential election. 

“RNC Chairman Michael Whatley. This guy is doing a great job. He’s doing great,” Trump said of the Republican National Committee chairman. “If we don’t have good results by the 6th of November, I will never say that about [Michael Whatley] again.”

“No, [Whatley] is a great guy. He is working very hard 24 hours a day. He’s working. I know that. And he’s working mostly on stop the steal because we have a lot of votes. We have plenty of votes. Stop this steal. That’s why you’ve got to get out. You’ve got to get out and vote. We’re going to win this thing. And the more we win, it’s too big to rig the expression we use. Make it too big to rig.”

Elon Musk, the increasingly right-wing CEO of X (formerly Twitter), appeared alongside Trump at the event, where he described himself as “dark MAGA.”

In a plea to get Trump supporters to register to vote, Musk warned the crowd that this would be the last election if Vice President Kamala Harris were to defeat Trump next month. 

“Drag them to register to vote,” Musk said. “There’s only two days left to register to vote in Georgia and Arizona. Text people now and then make sure they actually do vote. If they don’t, this will be the last election. That’s my prediction.”

Musk’s rhetoric was something of an inverse of what Trump has previously said to his supporters. 

“I love you Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote,” Trump said at a Turning Points USA event earlier this year.