The U.S. Secret Service addressed a post by billionaire Elon Musk on X, where he claimed no assassination attempts had been made on President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Musk shared the post after authorities arrested a man suspected of plotting to kill former President Donald Trump near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course on Sunday.
Musk, who owns X and leads Tesla, posted on Sunday, “No one’s even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala” along with an emoji expressing skepticism. Although Musk deleted the post, the Secret Service, responsible for protecting U.S. leaders, acknowledged the situation.
A Secret Service spokesperson informed Reuters that the agency was aware of Musk’s post. However, they avoided discussing specific security details. The agency investigates all threats related to the individuals it protects.
The spokesperson declined to say if the agency had contacted Musk directly. Musk, in later posts, implied he had been joking.
Musk’s post sparked criticism from both political sides. Some worried that his comments, shared with nearly 200 million followers, could provoke violence against Biden and Harris.
On Monday, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “We should condemn violence, not encourage or joke about it. This kind of rhetoric is irresponsible.”
