The White House has addressed a provocative comment made by Elon Musk on X (previously known as Twitter) regarding an alleged second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Musk, the platform’s owner, questioned why there haven’t been known assassination attempts against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in light of recent events.
In response to a user’s question about the motive behind a potential attack on Trump, Musk wrote, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala,” stirring a backlash from users urging him to retract the post. Despite the criticism, Musk maintained his stance, stating, “No one has even tried to do so is the point I’m making and no one will.”
After several hours of exchanges on the platform, Musk appeared to reconsider after tech entrepreneur Phil Trubey pointed out that users might be misinterpreting his message. Musk responded, “Fair enough. I don’t want to do what they have done, even in jest,” leading to the eventual deletion of the tweet, which had garnered 40 million views.
On Monday, Musk characterized his initial statement as a joke that had gone awry, explaining that just because something elicits laughter in a group doesn’t mean it translates well to a public post. He emphasized that context matters and that humor can be lost in text.
The incident occurred amid growing concerns following a security scare in Florida, where Secret Service agents observed a man with a rifle near Trump during a golf outing. The suspect fled but was subsequently apprehended, and the FBI is investigating the situation as a potential assassination attempt. This marks the second such incident involving Trump after an attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this summer.
In response to Musk’s comments, the White House released a statement echoing the sentiments of Biden and Harris regarding political violence. They emphasized that “there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,” urging collective responsibility to prevent similar incidents from escalating further.
The statement condemned the rhetoric surrounding the suggestions of violence, labeling it as irresponsible. Musk previously expressed support for Trump and was reportedly offered a position in the former president’s cabinet should he regain the presidency in the upcoming elections.