Trump’s momentum just went into hyperdrive

Almost immediately after the news broke that someone had tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk posted on X, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his speedy recovery.”

Other notable endorsements began rolling in as part of a surge in support for the Republican presidential candidate. At about 10 p.m. Saturday, Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager and CEO, formally endorsed Trump in an X post. He said he reached his decision “some time ago” but decided it was time to state it publicly.

Within a few hours of the shooting, the betting odds of Trump winning the election skyrocketed. His standing was already on the upswing following President Joe Biden’s faltering performance at the first presidential debate in Atlanta last month. Based on polls ending on July 11, RealClearPolitics gave Trump a 2.9 percent lead over Biden. According to PredictIt, a political betting website, wagers on Trump’s odds of winning jumped from 59 percent to 67 percent within two hours of the shooting.

“This presidential campaign is about to go through its third reset, which is unprecedented,” Pennsylvania-based Republican campaign consultant Christopher Nicholas told WORLD. “First, there was Trump’s trial where he was found guilty. Second, there was Biden’s terribly unsettling debate performance in Atlanta. And now, thirdly, is this attempted assassination of the former president. All of these happened in just the past six weeks.”

On Saturday, shots rang out as Trump addressed a crowd of thousands in rural Pennsylvania at the Butler Farm Show. A bullet fired by a rooftop gunman grazed Trump’s ear, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital but not admitted. Two attendees in the stands were critically injured, and another died, according to the Secret Service. The agency also confirmed that snipers fatally shot the gunman, identified as a 20-year-old local.

As the Secret Service surrounded Trump and rushed him off the stage, he stood and lifted a fist in the air. Later, Trump said he planned to keep his schedule of appearances at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which starts Monday.

“Based on yesterday’s terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling or anything else,” Trump posted to Truth Social.

Political consultant and election attorney Mark Weaver said the assassination attempt adds to a tide of political passion already buoying Trump.

“Americans already knew President Trump is sturdy and steadfast and this horrific attempt on his life reinforces that view, just as President Biden’s frail and fragmented debate performance reminded voters of what they’ve long seen in him,” Weaver said.

After President Ronald Reagan survived an attempted assassination at the Washington Hilton in 1981, his approval ratings soared by 22 points. Investment managers told CNBC on Sunday they expect stock prices and the value of the U.S. dollar to increase as investors become more confident that Trump will retake the White House.

“I don’t think it changes the votes of the people who truly believe Trump is unfit for office,” GOP consultant Craig Snyder told WORLD. “But the biggest variable in this election isn’t the relatively few undecided voters but the turnout percentages of the decided voters on both sides. I can’t imagine this won’t materially increase the turnout of Trump supporters.”

X user Blayne Clegg, self-described in his X bio as a “conservative creative,” posted a receipt from his first-ever political donation to the Trump campaign on Saturday night.

Erik Chazin, a personal fitness coach in Kentucky, posted a photo of himself wearing a red MAGA hat with the caption: “Hillary 2016, Biden 2020, Trump 2024.”

RNC delegate Tamara Scott spoke at a political fundraiser in Iowa on Saturday night before driving to Milwaukee for the convention. She announced to the crowd that the former president was nearly assassinated, and Scott said attendees tearfully prayed for Trump.

“His rising in the midst of the fray to fight another day ignited millions watching on TV,” Scott told WORLD, referencing the moment Trump wrested his arm free from the Secret Service hold and raised a fist. “Today, the image is galvanizing his supporters and solidifying solidarity to save this republic.”