Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo: Patrick Pleul
Just hours after U.S. authorities foiled an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Elon Musk posted a controversial message on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), shocking even his most loyal fans.
Musk posted, and later deleted, a message expressing surprise that no one had attempted to assassinate President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, according to The New York Times. “And no one’s even trying to kill Biden/Kamala,” Musk wrote, accompanied by a pensive emoji.
The comment came in response to a user on X asking, “Why do they want to kill Donald Trump?” Known for his support of Trump and frequent involvement in U.S. political debates, Musk deleted the post after it sparked immediate outrage.
Later, Musk attempted to clarify that the post was meant as a joke, though poorly received. “I was trying to make a joke, but jokes without context tend to be far less funny in written form,” he explained in a follow-up post.
The White House quickly condemned Musk’s post, calling it “irresponsible.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stressed that violence should never be encouraged or joked about.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed that on Sunday they thwarted an armed attack on Trump at his golf club in Florida. An agent guarding the former president noticed an armed suspect and fired several shots, forcing the attacker to flee. The suspect was later apprehended.
