Musk Claims ‘Joke’ About Assassinating Harris Was Funnier in Person
After Secret Service Agents foiled a second assassination plot against former President Donald Trump on Sunday, right-wing billionaire Elon Musk waded into the fray in the grossest way possible.
In response to a pro-Trump account asking why “do they want to kill Donald Trump?” Musk wrote to his nearly 200 million followers: “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala ??”
The post drew immediate backlash.
“Dude I’m not kidding here, get help. This is unhinged and dangerous,” former Republican House Representative Adam Kinzinger replied.
“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,” Kinzinger added in a separate post. “He needs to stop, or the govt needs to treat him equally to everyone else. Being rich doesn’t put you above the law.”
https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1835661394147946934
Musk holds billions in government contracts mostly related to his company SpaceX’s work with the federal government. In 2021, the private space exploration company won a $1.8 billion classified contract with the U.S. government and holds several other lucrative partnerships with the Department of Defense and NASA. In 2015, an investigation by The Los Angeles Times estimated that Musk’s companies had received at least $4.9 billion in government subsidies.
Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg called the tweet “appalling and indefensible.”
Musk later deleted the tweet, but not before it had gathered more than 30 million impressions on the platform. On Monday morning, he attempted to backtrack on the controversial post and claimed that users had simply misunderstood his attempt at humor.
“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, adding in another post that it “turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery
is plain text.”
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1835638973995069722
On Sunday, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii was arrested after Secret Service agents scouting the area ahead of Trump as he golfed at his Mar-a-Lago resort spotted an AK-47-style rifle barrel sticking through the fence. Agents fired at the suspect, who fled the scene and was later apprehended. Routh was approximately 300 to 500 yards away from the former president when the incident took place, and was unharmed.
President Joe Biden — who, contrary to Musk’s assertion has been the target of failed assassination plots — told reporters that “the Secret Service needs more help,” to carry out its protective mandate on Sunday.
Trump’s 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, wrote in response to the incident that she was “deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”
“I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance,” Harris added. “As President Biden said, our Administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.”
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