Elon Musk has donated $100,000 to the families of those wounded and killed during the assassination attempt at a Donald Trump campaign rally over the weekend—including Corey Comperatore, the volunteer firefighter who died while shielding his family.
The July 13 incident unfolded on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, where 50-year-old Comperatore, former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, attended the Trump rally. Approximately six minutes into Trump's speech, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on the crowd.
Trump was struck on his right ear, leaving it bleeding. He was surrounded by Secret Service agents and led from the stage after defiantly raising his hand in a clenched fist. Comperatore was the sole fatality, while two others were critically injured, according to the Secret Service, who killed the shooter.
In the aftermath, efforts have been made to raise money for the families of those affected, with a GoFundMe page being launched. The fundraising page, initiated by Meredith O'Rourke, Trump's adviser and the national finance director of his 2024 presidential campaign, has raised more than $4.7 million as of press time.
Among the donations are two $50,000 payments attributed to billionaire businessman Musk that were posted late July 15.
Hours before the donation, Musk responded to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's tribute to Comperatore. In her post, shared on Musk's platform X (formerly Twitter), Meloni stated that Comperatore was "an Italian American of Calabrian origins," before going over the circumstances surrounding his death.
"Poor guy. May he rest in peace," Musk commented in response.
Musk is one of a number of top donors to the GoFundMe page. Others include musician Kid Rock, who donated $50,000, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ($30,000), and the family of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci ($25,000).
UFC CEO and president Dana White donated $50,000. The same amount was also donated by UFC. Real estate developer Steve Wynn also donated $50,000.
The fundraiser's current total of almost $5 million vastly outstrips the initial goal to raise $1 million for the affected families.
"President Donald Trump has authorized this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today's brutal and horrific assassination attempt," O'Rourke wrote on the page. "All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover. May God bless and unite our nation."
Discussing the donations that have flooded in since the fundraiser's launch, Comperatore's widow, Helen Comperatore, told the New York Post: "The donations that are coming in across the community and across the country, it's more than I can even imagine. It's more than I can fathom, but he deserves it all. He deserves everything."
Since the shooting, Trump has traveled to Milwaukee for this week's Republican National Convention, where he will be formally nominated as the party's presidential candidate. On the July 15 opening day of the convention, Trump announced Ohio Senator JD Vance as his pick to run alongside him for vice president.
Update 7/16/24, 4:44 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional details and a new headline.
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