Elon Musk drew criticism Sunday after he wrote that “no one is even trying” to assassinate Vice President Harris in a now-deleted post on the social platform X following what the FBI called a second apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump earlier in the day.
Hours after the alleged assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Fla., Musk quoted an X post reading, “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?” and added his own commentary, writing, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Kamala,” with a thinking face emoji.
Musk, the owner of X, deleted the post on his platform early Monday and maintained it was 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 wrote Monday, adding later, “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
The now-deleted post drew heavy condemnation from various political figures and commentators.
“What is wrong with this guy?!?! Can anyone who loves him have an intervention? I’m serious this is off the rails,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) wrote on X.
The former congressman later wrote, “A reminder that @elonmusk is a contractor for DOD and the US Govt and has said things that would have gotten anyone kicked out of the military. He needs to stop, or the govt needs to treat him equally to everyone else. Being rich doesn’t put you above the law.”
Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg called Musk’s post “appalling and indefensible.”
The White House called the rhetoric “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,'” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said. “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Trump was playing golf at his course in West Palm Beach on Sunday when Secret Service agents spotted a man with a rifle pushing the firearm’s muzzle through the perimeter of the course, authorities said. The rifle was sticking through the bushes 300-500 yards away.
A Secret Service agent fired at the man, who dropped the AK-47-style rifle and fled in an SUV. He was eventually apprehended while traveling from Palm Beach County into Martin County on I-95 after a witness captured a photograph of the individual’s vehicle, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Trump campaign and Secret Service confirmed the former president was safe about an hour after the Secret Service opened fire at the suspect.
The incident came just nine weeks after a shooter opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, striking the former president in the ear and killing one attendee.
Musk endorsed Trump’s reelection bid shortly after the July shooting and has since levied a series of attacks against Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.
The tech leader has faced scrutiny for various posts and reposts on X in recent months, including last November, when he engaged with a post about an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Updated at 12:50 p.m.