Elon Musk Faces Backlash After Irresponsible Remark on Assassination of Biden and Harris
(Image: twitter)
Elon Musk sparked outrage after posting a controversial tweet questioning why no one is “trying to assassinate” President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The remark, posted on Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter), drew sharp criticism online and from the White House.
This incident follows an assassination attempt on Donald Trump on September 15, 2024. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates condemned Musk’s comments, calling them reckless and 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,’” Bates stated.
He added, “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible,” according to The Hill. The Secret Service also responded to Musk’s post, acknowledging that they were aware of the tweet. A spokesperson said, “The Secret Service is aware of the social media post made by Elon Musk, and as a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence.
We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees.” Musk’s post was in response to a user who asked, “Why [do] they want to kill Donald Trump?” Musk replied, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.” This comment led to widespread criticism, especially from Democrats, who condemned the dangerous rhetoric.
Musk eventually deleted the tweet, claiming it was meant as a joke. “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,” he posted later. He also added, “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
This controversy unfolded after Trump narrowly escaped a second assassination attempt on September 15, 2024, at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. A man with a gun was spotted aiming at Trump from behind a fence. Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe Jr. stated, “He did not fire or get any shots at our agent.” Although the suspect was 300-500 yards away from Trump, Rowe confirmed that the former president was not in the direct line of fire, as per ABC News.
Earlier in the year, on July 13, 2024, Trump survived another attempt on his life when a gunman opened fire during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring the former president. Despite these threats, Trump has continued his campaign for the 2024 presidential election.
