South-African-born billionaire Elon Musk drew the ire of a section of social media users following comments he made about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after what the FBI said was an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Per CNN, the apparent assassination attempt happened at the former president’s Florida golf club on Sunday afternoon. This is the second time Trump, 78, has been targeted in an apparent assassination attempt.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that they received a report about Secret Service agents opening fire on a man who was armed with a rifle and was spotted in bushes around Trump International Golf Club.
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Trump was on his property and playing golf at the time of the shooting. The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was ultimately arrested after he later drove away in a black Nissan vehicle.
“We are able to catch a witness that came to us and said, ‘Hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes, he jumped into a black Nissan and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag,’ which was great,” Bradshaw said.
“He knew enough to stay silent,” David Aronberg, the State Attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, said after Routh was arrested. “He did not apparently speak to officers, he was calm. So, it looked like a person who has done this before, not necessarily this crime, but someone who has had repeated interactions with law enforcement.”
President Biden also released a statement in the wake of the incident, saying that he was “relieved” Trump was “unharmed.” “I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,” Biden, 81, said.
“A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe,” he added.
“I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened.
“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”
The apparent assassination attempt was widely discussed on social media. But Musk’s response to a post about the incident on the X social media platform – which he owns – was widely condemned by some users.
“Why they want to kill Donald Trump?” an X account initially questioned. Musk, who is an avid Trump supporter, responded to the post and wrote, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.”
HuffPost deputy editor Phillip Lewis shared a screenshot of his post. “This is extremely reckless and dangerous post,” Lewis shared alongside the photo. Other social media users also commented and registered their displeasure over the 53-year-old billionaire’s comments.
this is extremely reckless and dangerous post: pic.twitter.com/Ugy4AIUBoR
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 16, 2024
“A couple of years ago, that would have been terms for suspension,” a user said. “And he wonders why companies stopped advertising here,” another user wrote.
A different user also described Musk’s comments as “reckless and calculated.” “He knows exactly what he’s doing…passively inciting violence,” the user continued. “It’s intentional and dangerous. Shameful use of a platform.”
“He is a threat to democracy,” said another user. “Considering he is the majority owner of this app… this has to be one of the craziest tweets i’ve seen on this …” another user commented wrote before tagging the FBI, CIA and Secret Service.
“Absolutely, like if any other person would have said that, national security would have contacted them all ready [sic] also they would have their account suspended too,” a different user replied in response to Lewis’ post.
