Billionaire Elon Musk came under fire after tweeting that nobody had tried to assassinate Kamala Harris or Joe Biden. The remarks came during a Twitter exchange where one user asked why people would want to kill Donald Trump. Musk replied, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.”
Several people replied questioning the wisdom of Mr. Musk’s remarks, while some even suggested that the billionaire is a potential security threat. A user named Maz Jobrani suggested that the Secret Service may wish to “pay this guy a visit” because he “ain’t right in the head.” Others accused Musk of attention seeking, and of letting his admirers down with increasingly “irresponsible” social media content. Former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega said that Musk’s words did actually meet the threshold that triggers concern and raises red flags about individuals who could pose a threat. She said the Secret Service should visit Mr. Musk because “that is the protocol in every similar situation.”
Musk responded to the backlash and insisted that his comments were a “joke.” However, he initially stood by them and said it was true that nobody had tried to take the lives of Harris or Biden, and “no one will.” He later deleted the tweet, however, having been persuaded it was open to misinterpretation by Democrats and Mr. Trump’s critics.
The White House issued a statement on the controversy and called Musk’s remarks “irresponsible.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about.” Mr. Bates added that all efforts must be made to ensure that responses to the attempt on Mr. Trump’s life do not create or lead to yet more violence.
A 58-year-old North Carolina native, Ryan Routh tried to shoot at the former President at his golf club in Florida. A Secret Service agent spotted a rifle peeping through a hedge surrounding the area where Mr. Trump was playing, and immediately opened fire. Routh managed to flee the scene but was arrested within the hour. Mr. Routh is a passionate Ukraine supporter who voted for Trump in 2016 but reportedly became angry with the Republican candidate over his refusal to commit to supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
