Elon Musk found himself at the center of controversy after a tweet he posted in response to what the FBI described as an “attempted assassination” of former President Donald Trump. The incident took place at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, September 15, when a man armed with a rifle was spotted by Secret Service agents. The suspect fled after being fired upon and was later detained by law enforcement. Thankfully, Trump was reported to be “safe and unharmed.”
In the wake of the incident, Musk took to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share his reaction, responding to a tweet asking why someone would want to kill Trump. Musk controversially replied, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.” The post sparked outrage online, with many users condemning his comments and calling for severe consequences, told CNN.
The hashtag #DeportElonMusk began trending as critics demanded that Musk’s security clearance be revoked and questioned his role as a national defense contractor. Some users expressed concerns that Musk’s words posed a threat to national security. One tweet read, “Elon is a national defense contractor. He needs his security clearance revoked immediately. Any government contracts outstanding need to be cancelled.”
Musk later deleted the tweet and tried to explain his intent, claiming it was a joke that didn’t land as he expected. “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. “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
However, the explanation did little to quell the outrage. Users continued to criticize Musk for his insensitivity, with one user posting, “Elon Musk is complaining that there hasn’t been an assassination attempt on the Vice President of the United States of America.” Others expressed heightened concerns for the safety of Vice President Kamala Harris following Musk’s remarks.
Although Musk deleted the original tweet, screenshots quickly spread across the platform, with many emphasizing that freedom of speech doesn’t exempt individuals from the consequences of their words.