Elon Musk erases his message that casts doubt on the thwarted Trump assassination attempt
"Nobody's attempting to eliminate Biden or Kamala, it seems 😅," Musk wrote in the now-erased X post.
Despite numerous appeals throughout Sunday night to eliminate the post, Musk initially held out. In response to a demand to remove his comments, Musk stayed firm: "No one's given it a shot is the main point I'm making, and nobody will."
However, Musk eventually relented due to an X post suggesting his intentions might be misconstrued.
"Alright, I get it. I don't want to follow in their footsteps, not even in jest," Musk responded. He later posted multiple times that the deleted post was a joke.
Subsequently, Musk reacted to a similar post with a thoughtful emoji to a picture noting that the four presidents preceding Trump had no assassination attempts, while Trump apparently had two. X did not respond to a request for comment.
CNN requested comment from the Secret Service, responsible for investigating perceived threats against the president and vice president, even when they're made jokingly. The Secret Service investigated a joke comedian John Mulaney made on "Saturday Night Live" comparing Trump to Julius Caesar, who was assassinated, in 2021.
It's uncertain if Musk, who owns X, breached X's terms of service with those posts. He's been frequently disregarding his platform's rules with minimal consequences. X's guidelines prohibit "promoting violent acts," although Musk denies inciting violence.
Musk supported Trump for president following an assassination attempt in July and interviewed Trump on X last month.
This shift towards the right for Musk has been accelerating recently. Musk, the world's wealthiest person, criticizes what he refers to as the "woke mind virus" among progressives. He's also warned about America's impending "doom" if Democrats maintain control of the White House.
Musk's posts, however, aren't typical political banter. He's become more involved in conspiracy theories, such as the baseless claim that the Biden administration allows undocumented immigrants to vote in US elections. He's also stepped over the line – or leaped entirely past it – by disseminating fake images and using derogatory language to bolster his causes.
For instance, Musk has posted numerous AI-generated images of Harris, including depicting her speaking before a crowd filled with communist symbols and imagery. After Taylor Swift endorsed Harris for president, Musk made a criticized comment: "Alright Taylor ... you've won ... I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life."
This is yet another example of the lack of boundaries on the X platform.
Despite Musk's involvement in conspiracy theories and controversial comments, his tech company X still operates in the bustling world of tech business. In response to criticisms about his posts, Musk defended his actions, stating that he's merely expressing his opinions and using freedom of speech as his justification.
