The controversial post by Elon Musk about Kamala Harris and Joe Biden has been deleted.
Following the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Musk posted on X, “no one is even trying to assassinate” President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
He was responding to X user DogeDesigner, who had asked, “Why do they want to kill Donald Trump?”
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However, many users were not okay with Musk’s response and chastised him. Amid the criticism, “DeportElonMusk” began trending on X. The backlash ultimately compelled him to delete the post.
After removing it, Musk wrote on Monday, “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.”
The SpaceX CEO has recently become known for his controversial posts. Last week, he joked about impregnating Taylor Swift after the singer publicly endorsed Harris.
He also made headlines for endorsing former President Donald Trump.
“Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates in response to Musk’s post. “This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Musk, the Tesla CEO, has previously shared conspiracy theories and clashed with world leaders and politicians.
X is currently banned in Brazil following a dispute between Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court judge over free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation, according to AP.
Musk has also been criticized in the past for posts that some say encourage violence.
Last month, the British government called on Musk to act responsibly after he posted content on X that officials said risked inflaming violent unrest in the country.
Despite the criticism, Musk has maintained that protecting free speech, not money, is his priority after acquiring Twitter, now rebranded as X. Explaining his motivation, the billionaire said: “Having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization.”
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Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute, noted that Musk has long been trying to “push the boundaries of free speech, in part by engaging in impulsive, unfiltered comments on a range of political topics.”
