'Must-win situation for ...': Elon Musk as he rallies Donald Trump's supporters

The former US president Donald Trump returned on October 5 to Butler, a city in Pennsylvania where he narrowly escaped an assassination bid 12 weeks ago. Bloomberg

Billionaire Elon Musk shared the stage with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the latter's Butler rally in Pennsylvania, and urged the supporters to go out and vote, terming it is a "must-win situation" for America.

"President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America. This is a must-win situation. So I have one ask for everyone in the audience, everyone who watches this video, and everyone in the livestream. This one request is very important. Register to vote," Musk said.

Musk launched a pro-Trump super PAC in May and publicly endorsed the Republican nominee hours after the assassination attempt in Butler. He was joined by billionaire Bill Ackman amid an outpouring of support for Trump after the attack, which killed one attendee and left two wounded.

The owner of X and Tesla said the supporters must get themselves and everyone they know to register before voting. "Then make sure they actually do vote. If they do not, this will be the last election. That is my prediction," he said.

Musk said the true test of someone's character is how they behave under fire. "We had one president who could not climb a flight of stairs. Another was fist-pumping after getting shot. Fight, fight, fight. Blood coming down the face. America is the home of the brave. There is no truer test than courage under fire. So who do you want representing America?" he asked the audience.

"This election, I think it is the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms. They want to take away your right to vote effectively. You have got 14 states now that do not require voter ID. California, where I used to live, just passed a law banning voter ID for voting. I still cannot believe that is real. How are you supposed to have a proper election if there is no ID?" he asked.

The former US president returned on October 5 to Butler, a city in Pennsylvania where he narrowly escaped an assassination bid 12 weeks ago, and addressed thousands of his supporters in this key battleground state, urging them to elect him as the next president of the United States.

Joined by high-profile figures like Tesla owner Elon Musk and his running mate, Senator J D Vance, Trump (78) made a passionate plea to "defeat" Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the November 5 presidential poll.

"We must stop her country-destroying regime, radical-left agenda once and for all. We cannot have it happen. So you must get out and you must vote," Trump said in Pennsylvania, which in this election cycle has emerged as a must-win situation for both candidates.

Trump launched a scathing attack on Harris and accused her of being a failure on multiple fronts, including border security and the economy. "She imposed a natural gas export ban on Pennsylvania, which is killing your energy workers and your pricing," he said.