The Daily Populous Tuesday September 17th, 2024 morning edition
Authored by wired.com and submitted by wiredmagazine

Shortly following reports of an apparent second assassination attempt against former US president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Elon Musk decided to speak up.

“And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala 🤔,” Musk, X’s owner, wrote in a now deleted post, in response to another person asking, “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?”

After deleting the post—which could be interpreted as a call to murder President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in the US presidential election—Musk indicated that it was merely a joke that fell flat given the context. “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, adding, “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”

The incident was the latest in a long line of increasingly incendiary political posts from Musk, whose substantial defense contracts with the US government may give him access to highly sensitive information even while he makes potential threats against the sitting commander in chief. And they point to the more pressing risk that Musk’s recent rhetoric has posed: the potential to inspire further political violence.

While Sunday night’s post is gone, it appears likely that Musk could receive some attention from federal law enforcement, if he hasn’t already.

The United States Secret Service declined WIRED’s request to comment on Musk’s post. “We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees,” USSS spokesperson Nate Herring tells WIRED.

“In my experience, the Secret Service would take such a comment very seriously,” says Michael German, a former FBI special agent and a liberty and national security fellow at NYU School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice. “Typically, agents would go out and interview the subject to ensure that there wasn't an existing threat, and to make the subject aware that the agency takes such statements seriously.”

German notes that it’s possible the FBI could also launch an investigation. However, it’s unlikely that Musk would face any charges for his post. “On its face, the tweet would not meet the ‘true threat’ test, in that it wasn't a direct threat to do harm to the vice president, so it wouldn't likely proceed to prosecution,” German says. Still, “it would create a record of the investigations.”

The FBI declined WIRED’s request to comment on Musk’s post. X did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

Both Biden and Harris have released statements condemning the apparent attempt on Trump’s life and political violence more broadly. In a statement to ABC News, the White House condemned Musk’s post. "Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about,” the statement says. “This rhetoric is irresponsible."

Where things get dicier for Musk is his role as a major contractor for the US Department of Defense and NASA. According to Reuters, SpaceX signed a $1.8 billion contract in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees US spy satellites. The US Space Force also signed a $70 million contract late last year with SpaceX to build out military-grade low-earth-orbit satellite capabilities. Starlink, SpaceX’s commercial satellite internet wing, is providing connectivity to the US Navy.

HighforTeacher on September 16th, 2024 at 21:07 UTC »

It's wild to me how much of a turn he's taken. At one point he was lauded as a genius bringing the world into the future with electric cars and revolutionary space programs.. Now he's the idiot that wanted to be so loud he bought an entire social network to drive it into the ground.

buttergun on September 16th, 2024 at 20:58 UTC »

I've been screaming this into the algorithmic void for about 8 years now.

wiredmagazine on September 16th, 2024 at 20:57 UTC »

After making a “joke” asking why “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala,” in a now-deleted post, the hashtag #DeportElonMusk is trending across X, his own platform, as many call him out for being a national security risk.

On Sunday, shortly after an apparent second assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his golf club in Florida, the billionaire posted the response that many interpreted as a suggestion to murder president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris who is running against Trump in the 2024 election.

He posted this in response to another user asking: “Why do they want to kill Donald Trump?” To be clear, Musk has on multiple occasions voiced support for Trump.

The incident was the latest in a long line of increasingly incendiary political posts from Musk. Experts say that it raises significant concerns, especially given his substantial contracts with the US government through SpaceX, his aerospace company. And they point to the more pressing risk that Musk’s recent rhetoric has posed: the potential to inspire further political violence.

Read the full story: https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-biden-harris-assassination-post-x/