Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman endorsed Donald Trump in the US presidential race on July 14. Taking to X, he wrote, “I am going to formally endorse @realDonaldTrump. I came to this decision some time ago as many @X followers have already understood from my supportive posts of Trump and my criticisms of @POTUS Biden. His comments came in the backdrop of the shooting attempt on Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania.
Ackman followed Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump and expressed “hope for his rapid recovery” from the shooting, in which Trump was hit in the upper right ear but said by his campaign to be doing fine. His endorsement marks a change from 2021. After the attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Ackman posted that Trump should “resign and apologise to all Americans.”
“The reason why I have not yet formally done so is that I want to explain my thinking in detail and address the arguments put forth by others against Trump. I want to make the case thoughtfully and convincingly,” he said.
“It will take a long-form post to explain my thinking. I might even break my own record. I just haven’t had the time nor felt the urgency to write the post as we are still a few months from the election,” he added.
“I am explaining my conclusion now in response to many questions I have received on the topic so that I am formally on the record. You of course don’t need to care about my opinion so feel free not to read my post when it appears. That said, I believe the upcoming presidential election is one of the most consequential elections in my lifetime so I am taking the proper time to articulate observations that I will share widely and for which I assume an important responsibility,” he said.
I am going to formally endorse @realDonaldTrump. I came to this decision some time ago as many @X followers have already understood from my supportive posts of Trump and my criticisms of @POTUS Biden.
The reason why I have not yet formally done so is that I want to explain my…
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) July 14, 2024
Speaking on his recent meeting with the former President, he said, “As always, I respect everyone’s right to form and share their own views on this important topic. Please keep an open mind on the upcoming presidential election. Bear in mind that your views on Trump have likely been dramatically affected if you have sourced your info on Trump from mainstream media or friends or family who have relied on mainstream media as a source of knowledge.”
“We have all recently learned in the starkest manner (the debate) how we cannot rely on the MSM as our source of truth on the ultimate political question,” he added.
In the end, he wrote, “Remember, media organizations are like sports teams that run plays chosen by their owners and executed by the coaches they hire. They are not unbiased arbiters of the truth.”