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Elon Musk deletes X post joking about assassinating Biden & Harris after backlash in wake of Ryan Routh trump shooting
Musk revealed why he deleted the tweet
ELON Musk has deleted his post on social media site X joking about assassinating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
The wiped tweet comes after the X CEO faced backlash for the bungled gag following the failed assassination on Donald Trump yesterday.
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Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested by cops in Florida yesterday after Secret Service agents believe he was trying to kill the former president.
Trump was playing a round of golf when the agents spotted Routh in the bushes with an AK-47 just 400 yards from the ex-President.
News broke after Trump was whisked away to safety, marking the second time in three months there was an attempt on his life.
The billionaire Tesla owner posted on his site with a thinking face emoji saying: “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.”
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He later deleted the post and sent out another post explaining why.
He 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.
"Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text."
Musk did not apologise or reveal who the group he initially told the "joke" to was.
Most read in The US Sun
Many on X replied to Musk's post slamming the SpaceX mogul over how he thought it was acceptable to post the message.
One said: "This is a dangerous and disturbing provocation."
Trump could face more assassination attempts closer to the US election, claims security specialist
Another posted: "If you or I said this, the FBI would be at our door tomorrow and hauling us away for questioning."
While a third wrote: "This is appalling and indefensible."
Trump also posted on social media following the attack, telling supporters he was safe.
Trump declared: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE
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“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you.”
The attempt on his life comes almost exactly two months after Trump was shot in the ear by a gunman in Pennsylvania on July 13.
An AK-47 style rifle, backpacks and a GoPro camera were found discarded near a fence by the golf club.
Martin County Sherriff William D. Snyder said registered Democrat Ryan Routh "was not displaying a lot of emotions" when police arrested him.
He added that the suspect was "relatively calm" and "never asked" why he was being detained.
Routh was allegedly convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction.
This was referring to a full automatic machine gun which he was found to have after barricading himself inside a roofing business.
He had been pulled over for a traffic stop - and then placed his hand on a gun, sparking the stand-off.
Public records appear to show Routh was charged with more than 100 offences between 1998 and 2019.
Routh's son Oran has defended his father saying it was "nothing like" him who he described as a "loving and caring" dad.
Oran said his father "hated" Trump as "every reasonable person does".
He told the : "He's not a violent person.
"He's a hard worker and a great dad. He's a great dude, a nice guy and has worked his whole f****** life."
Routh, 58, had been to Ukraine in 2022 following Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion and supported humanitarian causes.
Posts on his X account reveal the father wanted the US to send soldiers to defend Ukraine against Russia.
He also backed the idea of sending Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine, following them fleeing their own country.
In June 2020, Routh appeared to say that he had voted for Trump in 2016.
But he since had withdrawn his support: “While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving.
“I will be glad when you gone.”
Sir Keir Starmer said today he was "very worried" about what he said looked like an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
The Prime Minister told broadcasters in Rome: "I was very worried by the news about this attempt. Looks like an assassination attempt, very worried about it."
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He added: "Obviously, there's now an investigation going on so I won't say much more about the details, but I think it is really important that we're all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process.
"So, deeply troubled. Let the investigation take its place. But absolute clarity: violence, no place in political discussion at all, anywhere."
Inside Donald Trump and Elon Musk's bromance
By Carsen Holaday
ELON Musk made it official with Donald Trump in July when he endorsed the Republican nominee for president - but their unlikely bromance comes after years of antagonism.
Trump and Musk's alliance initially surprised the world after the duo's public feud led the tech mogul to call for Trump to step down from politics just two years ago.
The SpaceX founder endorsed Trump for the upcoming election in the wake of the attempted assassination at his Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
Gunman Thomas Crooks shot at the nominee as he was speaking on stage.
Crooks' bullet grazed Trump's ear, killed a rally attendee, and left two others seriously wounded before the would-be assassin was killed by Secret Service snipers.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk on X after the shooting.
Musk had previously called to Trump to quit politics and had endorsed rival Ron DeSantis in the Republican Primary.
Musk and Trump's relationship started to take a turn in March when the two met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump, who has previously been against policies supporting electric vehicles, has changed his tune about EVs due to Musk's support.
Trump was previously suspended from X, known as Twitter at the time, following the insurrection at the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
However, Musk restored Trump's official account on the platform a month after he bought the platform.
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