Elon Musk said his now-deleted X post about how “no one is even trying to assassinate” President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris was intended to be a joke.
The tech billionaire’s comment came after what the FBI is investigating as an “apparent assassination” attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday. Shots were fired in Trump’s vicinity while he was at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect was taken into custody and charged with two federal counts: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. In July, a gunman was killed after he shot Trump in the ear in an assassination attempt during a Pennsylvania rally.
Musk, who owns X, had posted a response to a user who had asked, “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?” Musk, who took over X — then Twitter — in October 2022, has been known to elevate debunked conspiracy theories on the platform. He has also been a staunch Trump supporter.
His comment, which some users read as a form of incitement and others said was inaccurate, received widespread backlash on the platform, with some using the hashtag “#DeportElonMusk” to call out the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Musk is an immigrant to the U.S., originally from South Africa, and has been highly critical of U.S. immigration and border policies.
Critics, including tech journalist Kara Swisher, zeroed in on Musk’s collaborations with the U.S. government in their criticisms. “He’s a defense contractor and has national security clearance and is tweeting incitements to violence. He needs a visit from the authorities asap,” Swisher wrote in a post on Threads, sharing an image of Musk’s tweet and referring to his reported government-issued security clearance.
On Monday, after removing the initial post, Musk wrote, “Well, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on X.”
“Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text” he wrote in a second post on X.
Musk and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 16, 2024
A spokesperson for the White House called any jokes about assassination attempts of political figures “irresponsible.”
“As President Biden and Vice President Harris said after yesterday’s disturbing news, ‘there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,’ and ‘we all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.’ Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz both condemned what the FBI is calling an apparent “attempted assassination” on Trump. Biden said he was relieved Trump was unharmed.
Musk on Monday also responded to a post from Donald Trump Jr. on X about the former president.
“The incitement to hatred and violence against President Trump by the media and leading Democrats needs to stop,” Musk wrote.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
