Elon Musk tries to spin now-deleted Biden/Harris assassination attempt post as 'jokes'
Hours after former President Donald Trump was targeted in a second apparent assassination attempt, Telsa and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk weighed in with a post that sparked outrage online.
"And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," Musk said followed by a thinking face emoji on X, formerly Twitter, which he owns. Musk was responding to the question from another X user, "Why they want to kill Donald Trump?"
Florida officials apprehended a suspect Sunday after Secret Service agents spotted him with an assault rifle within range of the Republican presidential nominee at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is calling it another assassination attempt after Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in July.
Musk endorsed Trump after the July assassination attempt and has increasingly amplified Trump's messaging through X. Trump has said he will give Musk a leading role in a new government efficiency commission if he wins a second term.
Live updates: How did the Donald Trump assassination attempt happen? Questions swirl
Musk appears to spin controversial post as a joke
Musk deleted the post within hours and followed up early Monday morning saying:
"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 ??," he said.
"Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text," the second post stated. USA TODAY reached out to X for comment.
Despite deleting the post, screenshots of it have been widely shared, with some users tagging the FBI, the Secret Service and calling it "extremely reckless and dangerous" or "disgusting."
this is extremely reckless and dangerous post: pic.twitter.com/Ugy4AIUBoR
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 16, 2024
It turns out that begging someone to an assassination attempt on the sitting POTUS and/or VP doesn’t land as funny.
Deleted at nearly 30 million views. Absolutely disgusting. https://t.co/Ta6SinM9EO pic.twitter.com/WjdvltEzl7— jadyn. (@itsJadynNow) September 16, 2024
Suspect in custody following apparent assassination attempt
Trump was at his Florida golf course Sunday when the Secret Service spotted a gun barrel in the bushes near the property line. The agents opened fire, the suspect dropped an AK-47-style assault rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro, and fled, according to authorities.
The suspect, identified as Ryan Routh, 58, was apprehended shortly after and appeared in court Monday morning. The FBI said the incident appeared to be an assassination attempt.
Trump was not injured and thanked the Secret Service and local authorities for their work.
President Joe Biden also commended the Secret Service and said, "There is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country."
Contributing: Sam Woodward, John Bacon, Michael Collins, and Josh Meyer
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk deleted X post mentioning Biden and Harris assassination