Elon Musk’s humorous observation that nobody has attempted to assassinate President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris has drawn scrutiny from the Secret Service, Bloomberg has reported.
Following an assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump at a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala ????”
On Sunday, a pro-Ukrainian activist was arrested in Florida for setting up an ambush for Trump at a golf course.
Musk’s post sparked outrage among Democrats, who accused him of inciting violence against Biden and Harris. Musk subsequently deleted the post.
In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Bloomberg, the Secret Service stated that records related to Musk’s post were “compiled for law enforcement purposes” and could not be released as “disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”
The Secret Service “is aware of the social media post made by Elon Musk,” agency spokesman Nate Herring told Bloomberg. “As a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence. We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees.”
According to Bloomberg, the Secret Service may visit Musk and “have to prove he doesn’t pose an imminent threat” to Biden and Harris.
Musk has been a vocal supporter of Trump and a frequent critic of Democratic policies, including censorship, which prompted him to purchase X, formerly known as Twitter, in October 2022 for a reported $44 billion.
While his observation about assassinations was accurate, Musk later acknowledged it was a joke that fell flat.
“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.”
Musk’s humor has had more success in the past. In response to pop star Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris, he quipped, “I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life,” referencing both his twelve children with three different women and the unfounded claim that migrants in Ohio were eating people’s pets.