The White House called Elon Musk’s rhetoric “irresponsible” on Monday after the X owner questioned why no one tried to assassinate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Musk made the comments on his X platform on Sunday after former President Donald Trump was the target of a second assassination attempt while golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Responding to a post asking, “Why do they want to kill Donald Trump?” Musk, who supports Trump, provocatively remarked, “And no one is even trying to kill Biden or Kamala.”
“As President Biden and Vice President Harris said after yesterday’s disturbing news, ‘there is no place for political violence, or any violence, in our country’ and ‘we must all do our part to ensure this incident does not lead to more violence,’” spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or ridiculed,” Bates continued. “This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Elon Musk has stirred up controversy again after Secret Service agents managed to foil an assassination attempt on Donald Trump yesterday
Responding to a post asking, “Why do they want to kill Donald Trump?” Musk provocatively remarked, “And nobody is even trying to kill Biden or Kamala,” referring to the current president and vice president
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to the stage during the 2024 Phoenix Awards Dinner at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2024
For the second time in just over two months, someone came dangerously close to assassinating the 45th President of the United States
Musk’s post sparked almost immediate outrage, as users from all political stripes condemned the comments.
Undaunted, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO doubled down on his bet, responding with a “100” emoji to a comment that said, “Trump threatens the machine. Biden/Kamala are the machine.”
He eventually admitted that his comments were not well-received and deleted the posts, clarifying that his comment was not meant to be taken seriously.
“Just because I say something to a group and they laugh about it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a hilarious post on X,” he mused.
The alleged shooter, registered Democrat Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, showed little emotion and remained calm as he was arrested
Donald Trump shared his intriguing take on the “interesting day” on Truth Social, praising the Secret Service and authorities for their “incredible work,” just hours after the assassination attempt. (Pictured: Trump on his New Jersey golf course in August 2023)
Before deleting the offensive post, Musk defended himself by saying he wanted to emphasize the importance of unity and make it clear that no one wants to harm Biden or Harris.
Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg called the report “appalling and indefensible,” while comedian Maz Jobrani even suggested the Secret Service investigate Musk.
“Maybe you should pay this guy a visit. He’s out of his mind!” Jobrani joked, tagging the Secret Service in his post.
Musk’s ill-conceived comments followed another heated incident surrounding the New Hampshire Libertarian Party (NHLP), which was widely condemned for a tweet suggesting that Harris should be assassinated.
In that inflammatory post, the NHLP suggested that killing the Democratic candidate would make someone “a hero.”
Commentators from across the political spectrum also condemned the tweet, with Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver distancing himself from the statement, calling it “horrific.”
Although the party account eventually deleted the tweet, they defended their right to make such comments under the US First Amendment.
Musk caused controversy last week when he called the Australian government “fascist” for proposing laws that would fine social media giants for spreading disinformation.
Australia introduced a bill earlier this week to combat disinformation, which includes sweeping powers to fine tech giants up to five percent of their annual turnover if they breach online safety obligations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded strongly to Musk, saying social media “has a social responsibility.”
“If Musk doesn’t understand that, it says more about him than it does about my administration,” he told reporters on Saturday.
X-man Elon Musk has once again called Albanian government fascists over proposed disinformation laws
Musk took on Anthony Albanese as the war of words between the two men intensified
Mr Albanese said Mr Musk needed to understand that his platform had a “social responsibility”
The exchange between Musk and Australian officials is the latest in a long-running dispute with the Australian government over social media regulation.
The Australian government is exploring a range of new measures that would make social media companies more accountable for the content on their platforms, including a ban on under-16s.
The country’s online watchdog took Musk’s company to court earlier this year after it said the company failed to remove “extremely violent” videos showing a pastor being stabbed in Sydney.
But the company abruptly abandoned its attempt to secure a global takedown order against X after Musk secured a legal victory in a preliminary hearing, a move Musk hailed as a victory for free speech.
Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist,” has clashed with politicians and digital rights groups around the world, including in the European Union. Within months, Musk could decide to take action against X, including potentially fining him.
In Brazil, where X has effectively been suspended after ignoring a series of judicial directives, Musk has responded by criticizing the judge as an “evil dictator posing as a judge.”