(Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Elon Musk is once again stirring up controversy with his tweets. After a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump this weekend, the X owner openly wondered why no one has attempted to kill President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.
In response to a tweet that asked why people want to kill Trump, Musk wrote: "And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," followed by the thinking face emoji.
(Credit: X/Chandra Steele)On Sunday, police arrested 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who snuck onto Trump's golf course in Florida with a rifle. He was spotted by Secret Service before he could harm Trump but managed to briefly elude capture.
Musk — a major Trump supporter— then posted his controversial tweet, which some interpreted as a call for violence against Biden and Harris.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO initially refused to delete the tweet, as one user suggested. “No one has even tried to [kill Biden or Harris] is the point I’m making and no one will,” Musk wrote.
But after encountering backlash, Musk scrubbed the tweet, saying his post was meant in "jest," adding: "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 wrote.
Minutes later, Musk added: “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
Despite deleting the tweet, some users are calling on Secret Service and law enforcement to warn or even prosecute Musk over the controversial post. Others are asking him to be deported, although Musk, who was born in South Africa, obtained US citizenship in 2002.
Meanwhile, the White House has reportedly criticized Musk’s tweet. “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible,” the Biden administration told ABC News.
However, Musk is continuing the fiery political rhetoric on his X account. On Monday, Musk tweeted that Democrats and the media are to blame for inciting violence against Trump. The would-be shooter "is clearly unhinged and easily influenced by the media’s incessant call for Trump’s death," Musk tweeted.
This comes days after Musk received backlash for another tweet targeting singer Taylor Swift after she openly endorsed Harris for US president over Trump. She did so through a post on Instagram, which was signed with the words, "Childless Cat Lady." In response, Musk tweeted: “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.”
Trump also had a message for the pop star this weekend: "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" he wrote on Truth Social.