Major Players Switching to Trump Support... Called the "Van Gogh of Politics"

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot during a campaign event, prompting billionaire heavyweights who had previously taken a reserved stance, such as Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, to publicly declare their support for Trump, clearly defining their position. Some even likened Trump, who was shot in the ear, to the "immortal painter" Vincent van Gogh, who famously cut off his own ear.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was urgently evacuating after a shooting incident occurred while he was campaigning at an election rally held in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the 13th (local time). [Image source=AFP Yonhap News, Reddit]

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others on the 14th (local time), Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) immediately after the shooting, saying, "I fully support former President Trump and wish him a speedy recovery."

In another post, he compared Trump to former President Theodore Roosevelt, who was shot during a speech in 1912, saying, "The last time the U.S. had such a tough candidate was Theodore Roosevelt." Roosevelt, running for a third term as the Progressive Party candidate, survived thanks to a thick speech manuscript and eyeglass case in his pocket. Despite the shooting, he famously declared, "It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose," and continued his 90-minute speech, demonstrating his resilience.

Until now, Musk had openly expressed dissatisfaction with Democratic President Joe Biden while showing increasingly friendly gestures toward Trump. However, this is the first time he has clearly and officially expressed support for Trump, as seen in his tweet immediately after the shooting. In response to a tweet stating that JD Vance, a lawyer-turned-"young conservative" senator, should be Trump's running mate, Musk replied, "You are right."

Musk was not the only one to express support for Trump immediately after the shooting. Bill Ackman, chairman of Pershing Square Capital Management and a Wall Street hedge fund magnate, also posted a lengthy message on X that night declaring his support.

In his post, Ackman mentioned that he had decided to support Trump earlier but had not felt the urgency to publicly declare it until now. He also said, "If I express support for Trump, Biden supporters who know me might think I am out of my mind," but emphasized, "I am confident that I made this decision thoughtfully and rationally, based on as much empirical data as possible."

The WSJ evaluated, "The declarations of support from these two indicate a victory for former President Trump," noting that they have attracted individuals with enormous influence and financial resources in social media and the business world. The Washington Post (WP) pointed out that Musk's support post received more retweets than former President Barack Obama's post condemning the violence, stating, "The changes in these two show how dramatically the political landscape in business and technology has shifted in just a few years."

In the business community, voices wishing for Trump's recovery and condemning political violence have poured out. Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery," and strongly condemned such violence. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos remarked, "Former President Trump showed tremendous grace and courage amid the shock." Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff stated, "Political violence like this cannot be tolerated in the United States." Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai also posted messages with similar tones. However, unlike Musk and Ackman, they did not publicly declare their support.

Jeffrey Gundlach, CEO of DoubleLine Capital, wrote on X, "Former President Trump is now the undeniable Vincent van Gogh of American politics." By comparing Trump, who was shot in the ear, to van Gogh, who famously cut off his own ear, Gundlach suggested that this assassination attempt could become a major turning point in the 2024 presidential campaign.