Elon Musk, the world's richest man and Republican mega-donor, has claimed that the "legacy mainstream media" is actively encouraging the assassinations of both him, and former President Donald Trump.
Musk, who describes himself as a "free-speech absolutist," has received backlash for sharing false or misleading information on social media, and has faced criticism for his support of Trump. Now, he says this is putting him at risk of being murdered.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Musk wrote "with their relentless hit pieces, legacy mainstream media are actively encouraging the assassination of @realDonaldTrump and now me." Alongside the post, Musk shared an image of an editorial from the center-left leaning German newspaper, Der Spiegel, which dubbed him, "Enemy number two."
Musk also addressed the Der Spiegel cover while speaking at a pro-Trump town hall event in Pennsylvania on Sunday, saying that he was "dramatically increasing my risk of being assassinated" by getting involved in the campaign.
"Engaging in politics is not what I want to do," the Tesla CEO told the crowd. "I do not have a death wish. But the stakes are so high that I really feel I have no choice but to do it, and that's the reason."
"I'm like, enemy number two of what? Uh, democracy? I mean I'm pro-democracy. I'm literally trying to uphold the Constitution and ensure we have a free and fair election," Musk said, eliciting applause from the crowd.
Musk then remarked that he is "definitely upgrading my security."
"I better cancel that open-card parade," he added, in what appeared to be a reference to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The owner of X said that he was "shook," by the "level of vitriolic hatred on the left."
Newsweek has reached out to Der Spiegel via a form on their website for comment.
Musk himself has been criticized for his political rhetoric. The Trump-backing billionaire has faced backlash on more than one occasion for "joking" about the assassination of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, following attempts on Trump's life.
In an interview with former Fox News host with Tucker Carlson earlier in October, Musk said, "Nobody's even trying to kill Kamala because it's pointless."
Musk made similar remarks in September when he wrote on X that "no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," shortly after the second assassination attempt on Trump. He faced intense backlash for the remark, which he later apologized for.
Several people have threatened or attempted to assassinate President Joe Biden and Harris, but were apprehended
Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Musk via email for comment.
Trump has been the victim of two reported assassination attempts during the 2024 election cycle. On July 13, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at the former president, killing one man and grazing Trump's ear with a bullet. The second attempt occurred on September 15, when Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested near one of Trump's Florida golf courses after he was seen at the perimeter holding a rifle while the former president was playing.
Steven Cheung, Trump's campaign spokesperson shared a statement with Newsweek which said, "President Trump and his campaign have been incredibly resilient under constant attacks by the media and would-be assassins who have blood on their hands, but we continue to persevere because the mission to Make America Great Again is too important.
"The media has already memory-holed the assassination attempt in Butler, and disgustingly reverted to attacking President Trump mere days after a bullet struck his head, within millimeters of taking his life."
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