The White House has publicly criticized Elon Musk for a recent tweet where he suggested that “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala” in reaction to a user questioning why there was a desire to kill Donald Trump. The presidential office released a statement on Monday denouncing Musk’s “irresponsible” comments, which were accompanied by an eyebrow-raising emoji. The statement emphasized that “violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about,” asserting that there must be “no place for political violence or any violence ever in our country.”
The Secret Service also acknowledged Musk’s post on the social media platform X, which he owns. This remark followed the arrest of a man suspected of plotting to assassinate Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach over the weekend. Musk, a supporter of Trump, faced backlash from users across the political spectrum, concerned that his comments could incite violence against Biden and Harris among his nearly 200 million followers.
Despite deleting the post, Musk garnered the attention of the Secret Service, which is responsible for the safety of current and former officials. A spokesperson stated that while they do not typically comment on protective intelligence matters, they investigate all threats directed at their protectees.
The spokesperson did not clarify whether the Secret Service reached out to Musk, who later implied that his initial comments were meant as a joke. He tweeted, “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. Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
Both Biden and Harris, who are opposed to Trump in the upcoming 2024 election, expressed relief on Sunday night that Trump had remained unharmed.