Elon Musk Deletes X Post Musing About Kamala Harris and President Biden Assassination, Claims It Was ‘Joke’ That Was ‘Funny’ in ‘Context’
Elon Musk, the pro-Trump tech mogul who is the world’s richest individual, on Sunday posted a comment on X — the social media network he owns — saying “no one is even trying to assassinate” VP Kamala Harris or President Biden, followed by a thinking-face emoji. Musk subsequently deleted the post after a backlash.
Musk’s comment came in response to a user on X who asked, “Why [do] they want to kill Donald Trump?” On Sunday, Trump‘s presidential campaign said the former president was safe after an incident the FBI described as “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla. In July, Trump was shot and injured at a Pennsylvania rally by a would-be assassin.
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Musk, who has more than 197 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), attempted to explain himself in follow-up posts and suggested that his remark about Harris and Biden was meant to be 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 ??,” Musk wrote on the platform just before midnight PT on Sunday. “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text,” he added shortly afterward.
Here’s a screenshot of Musk’s deleted post:
In a statement Monday, the White House said Musk’s “rhetoric is irresponsible” and said that violence should never be “encouraged or joked about.”
“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, per CNBC. “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Musk is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and serves as the technical and product chief at X, the company he bought in a $44 billion debt-laden deal in 2022. Musk’s current net worth is estimated to be $252 billion, per Forbes.
Former GOP congressional representative Adam Kinzinger quoted Musk’s post and wrote, “What is wrong with this guy?!?! Can anyone who loves him have an intervention? I’m serious this is off the rails.” On Monday, Kinzinger wrote on X, “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.”
In a statement Sunday following the apparent second assassination attempt of Trump, Harris said, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
Musk on Monday morning posted a comment on X saying, “The incitement to hatred and violence against President Trump by the media and leading Democrats needs to stop.” He quoted a post by Donald Trump Jr., who wrote, “You know what’s getting really old? Having to have conversations with my 5 young children about radical leftist trying to kill their grandfather. No person should ever have to do this in America or anywhere else and yet I had to have that conversation five times again yesterday.”
Separately, Musk last week posted a “joke” offering to impregnate Taylor Swift after she endorsed Harris for president and signed her post “Childless Cat Lady.” Musk, who has become a vocal Trump supporter, wrote, “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.” Many people didn’t find that funny, either, with commenters slamming Musk as “creepy” and some accusing him of sexual harassment.
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