Musk 'inciting' people to assassinate Harris, Biden? Tesla CEO asks why 'no one is even trying' to target them

Elon Musk has done it again. The Tesla, SpaceX CEO has once again courted controversy by questioning why "no one is even trying" to assassinate US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Musk's latest controversial statement comes just hours after former US president Donald Trump's second assassination attempt.

'Unhinged'

Elon Musk on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) replied to a post by user DogeDesigner that said "Why they want to kill Donald Trump" and said: "And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala" along with a thinking face emoji.

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On Sunday (Sep 15) former US president Donald Trump became the target of what the FBI described as an apparent assassination attempt while he was playing golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, allegedly pointed an AK-47-style rifle at Trump from about 400-500 yards away but was quickly stopped by Secret Service agents. Routh fled the scene but was later apprehended by law enforcement.

Posted mere hours after the incident that could've turned tragic, Elon Musk's comment has rightfully courted controversy.

Netizens react

Reacting to Elon Musk's post, netizens pointed out, "Nobody should be trying to assassinate anyone."

One user pointed out that Musk's post is "literally incitement," while another commented, "I would reconsider this post. Shit's getting out of hand. We need to unite."

To this, Musk replied that he was merely trying to make the point that "No one has even tried to do so (assassinate Biden or Harris)".

Calling his post "unhinged and dangerous" users slammed him and commented "This isn't a contest... This should not happen to anybody... That should be your stance" and said,"You're disgusting."

Others posted "Elon Musk is wondering why more people aren't trying to assassinate Joe and Kamala? Seems like a pretty messed up thing to even bring up" and urged the eccentric billionaire to "get help".

US laws: Can Musk's post be considered incitement?

As one user pointed out Elon Musk's post questioning why there have been no assassination attempts, agents Biden and Harris could be considered incitement. A few users have even tagged the US Secret Service and FBI in the comments.

Is incitement a punishable offence in the US? Yes.

Title 18 of the US Codes states that anyone persuading another to use, or threaten, the use ofphysical force against another person can be held liable and can be imprisoned for up to 10 years, fined or both. However, if the crime solicited is punishable by life imprisonment or death, the person can be sent to prison for a maximum of 20 years.

(With inputs from agencies)