Elon Musk Deletes New Kamala Harris Post, Secret Service Investigates
U.S. Secret Service announced they’d be looking into a post on X after CEO, Elon Musk, questioned why “no one is trying to assassinate” President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump Faces Second Assassination Attempt
On Sunday, September 15, the former president was residing at his golf club in West Palm Beach, FL, when the Secret Service reported an armed suspect who opened fire. The suspect, identified as 58-year-old, Ryan Wesley Routh, was then arrested on firearm offense charges. As Secret Service agents swept the course, they detected the gunman. A rifle’s muzzle, identified as an SKS semi-automatic, was observed protruding from the brushwood that borders the path.
The incident occurred nearly two months after Trump’s first assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The affair resulted in the death of a man in the crowd and the Republican candidate with minor injuries. The apparent assassination attempt, coupled with the casualty in Butler, garnered mass attention and fear.
Elon Musk Posts, Deletes, and Responds to Comment
Hours after what authorities classified as Donald Trump’s second assassination attempt, Musk took to his social media site, X (formally known as Twitter), to tweet a now-deleted question that he classified as a “joke”. Musk’s comment was a reply to an X user who posted, “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?”
Elon Musk deleted his "joke" after it got nearly 40 million impressions pic.twitter.com/YoKHQBAQQU
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) September 16, 2024
Originally ignoring to delete the tweet, Musk responded to a user on X who proposed that he remove and rewrite the message since it was being misinterpreted, stating, “Fair enough, I don’t want to do what they have done, even in jest.” He deleted the post, reflected on his statement, and attempted to explain the reasoning behind his note.
He mentioned, “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.” He continued, “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know that context and delivery is plain text,” raising mass concern on social media.
Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, and President Biden issued a statement on Sunday night voicing their relief that Trump had not been injured. Despite being a political adversary, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to Donald Trump in a check-up call, explaining to him that there “was no place for political violence.” She announced the statement at the National Association of Black Journalists where she delved into her reasoning behind running for President and the importance of safe debates.
On Monday, the White House criticized Mr. Musk’s post, branding it as “irresponsible.” Furthermore, the same day the White House disapproved of the comment, the U.S. Secret Service declared they were aware of the post and investigating the situation.
With his recent endorsement of the former president in July, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO replied to a post by Donald Trump Jr., who took to social media to express his concerns. His reply to Trump Jr. stated, “The incitement to hatred and violence against President Trump by the media and leading Democrats needs to stop.”
The incitement to hatred and violence against President Trump by the media and leading Democrats needs to stop. https://t.co/3gMWEk1pku
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 16, 2024
In addition to being an expressive supporter of the former president, Musk has been a vocal critic of Harris and her campaign. Although no further announcements regarding this situation have been made, we will continue to bring you updates as this matter unfolds.
