The U.S. Secret Service is keeping a close eye on Elon Musk after he posted a controversial message about President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on X, the social media platform he owns.
The post, which Musk has since deleted, questioned why there hadn’t been any assassination attempts on the two leaders, sparking immediate outrage.
Musk’s comment came after a man was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course. In his post, Musk wrote, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala,” adding an eyebrow-raising emoji. The message quickly drew sharp criticism from both sides, with many worried it could incite violence.
The Secret Service, tasked with protecting high-level government officials, confirmed they were aware of Musk’s post. “The Secret Service is aware of the social media post made by Elon Musk, and as a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence,” a spokesperson said. However, the agency clarified that they take any potential threats against their protectees seriously.
Following the backlash, Musk tried to explain the comment as a joke that didn’t translate well in text. He later tweeted, “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 funny as a post on X.”
Although Musk deleted the post, concerns remain about the potential impact of such comments, especially with his massive following of nearly 200 million users. Both President Biden and Vice President Harris issued statements condemning political violence, but they did not directly address Musk’s remarks.
