Elon Musk took to X in yet another post to comment on the second assassination attempt against Trump. Could Musk’s posts influence US election outcomes this fall?
“No one is even trying to assassinate Harris/Biden” Trump posted on X (formerly Twitter) after the attempt on Trump’s life on Sunday.
In two X posts, after he deleted the controversial one about Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden, Musk said the deleted post was a joke.
In the first post, Musk said, “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.”
In the second post, Musk continued, “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
While Musk may see it as a joke, others did not interpret it that way. The White House condemned Musk in a statement, saying:
“As President Biden and Vice President Harris said after yesterday’s disturbing news, ‘there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,’ and ‘we all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.’”
The statement also said, “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Musk isn’t new to controversy on X
This wouldn’t be the first time the Tesla CEO has taken to X to say something that could be deemed controversial. When anti-Muslim riots were taking place in the UK, Musk said, “civil war is inevitable” in the UK.
Musk also used his power as the primary owner of X when a user said there was a surge in potentially fraudulent voter registration in three US states. He amplified the post on the platform and deemed it as “extremely concerning.”
Concerns about Musk’s influence on X and the influence of X itself have even led the Brazilian government to ban the platform altogether.
Influence of Musk’s posts on US elections
Elon Musk has always been loud about his opinions, and his influence has been shown to have a large reach. Certain experts believe he could cause trouble as US Election Day approaches.
Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, called Musk’s actions shameful. Beirich said, “X and Musk are raising the temperature of politics dangerously and irresponsibly at a critical moment.”
Elon Musk has also supported Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, endorsing him many times throughout the 2024 election cycle. Following the first assassination attempt on Trump, which injured the former President’s ear, Musk said on X, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
Trump also said that if he is elected to the Oval Office, Musk will head a task force to conduct a complete financial and performance audit of the US government.
With his relationship with Trump and his massive following and influence on social media, Musk’s posts could potentially influence US election outcomes for better or worse.