Tech billionaire Elon Musk sparked controversy with a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, in which he claimed that “no one is even trying” to assassinate President Joe Biden or Vice-President Kamala Harris. The US Secret Service has confirmed that they are “aware” of the post, which has since been deleted by Musk.
The post came just hours after a suspected attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at his golf course in Florida. Musk, a close ally of Trump, has faced backlash from many X users who criticized his comments as potentially inciting violence against the current US president and vice-president.
In response to the criticism, the White House condemned Musk’s post, calling it “irresponsible” and emphasizing that violence should never be encouraged or joked about. The US Secret Service, responsible for protecting the president and vice-president, stated that they investigate all threats related to their protectees.
Musk later tweeted that he had learned a lesson about the impact of his words, acknowledging that jokes can be misinterpreted when delivered in plain text without context. The controversial tech mogul has been vocal in his support of Trump, endorsing him after a separate assassination attempt against the former president in July.
The incident has reignited concerns about the influence of social media on political discourse and the potential consequences of inflammatory rhetoric. As the controversy continues to unfold, many are calling for greater accountability and responsibility from public figures like Musk in their online communications.
