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Elon Musk, the enigmatic CEO of X (formerly Twitter), found himself embroiled in controversy after posting a question that many perceived as insensitive and potentially dangerous. The post, which has since been deleted, questioned why former President Donald Trump has faced two apparent assassination attempts in recent months, while President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have not encountered any similar incidents. Musk's post sparked outrage and drew criticism for its potential to incite violence and stoke political tensions.
The post, which simply read “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala 🤔,” initially met with resistance from Musk. He initially resisted numerous calls throughout Sunday night to delete the post, doubling down with a defiant response: “No one has even tried to do so is the point I’m making and no one will.” However, faced with mounting pressure and the potential for his words to be misinterpreted, Musk eventually yielded. He was ultimately persuaded by an X post that suggested his “obvious intent” may be misconstrued. He responded, “Fair enough. I don’t want to do what they have done, even in jest.”
Despite later claiming the deleted post was a joke, the damage was already done. The White House swiftly condemned Musk’s comments, calling them “irresponsible.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated, “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.’” He emphasized, “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about.”
The incident has brought renewed attention to the potential dangers of online platforms and the responsibility of influential figures like Musk to use their platforms responsibly. The Secret Service, which is tasked with investigating perceived threats against the president and vice president, has previously investigated jokes made about Trump's safety. In 2021, the Secret Service investigated a joke made by comedian John Mulaney on “Saturday Night Live” comparing Trump to Julius Caesar, who was assassinated. It remains unclear if Musk violated X’s terms of service with his posts, but he has a history of flouting platform rules with minimal consequences.
Source: Elon Musk deletes post questioning the Trump assassination attempt