The FBI said it would “visit” Elon Musk for writing on X, “No one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.”
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
No, this isn’t an authentic FBI post responding to X owner Elon Musk about assassination attempts
If Your Time is short
-
The FBI didn’t post this on X, the agency told PolitiFact.
After what the FBI called an apparent second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, X owner Elon Musk mused about why no one had tried to kill Democratic presidential nominees.
"And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," Musk said in a Sept. 15 X post that has since been deleted.
A purported screenshot of the FBI responding to Musk’s post started circulating on social media the next day.
"Unlike his kids, we’re gonna visit him for this," read the supposed Sept. 16 FBI X post. (One of Musk’s children, an estranged daughter, has drawn news coverage for criticizing her father.)
But this screenshot was fabricated.
Featured Fact-check
"This was not posted by the FBI," the agency told PolitiFact in a statement.
The post in the purported screenshot didn’t appear on the FBI’s X account as of Sept. 17, and we found no evidence, such as credible news stories, that the agency posted and then deleted the supposed response to Musk.
The FBI commented on the arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh, suspected of lurking in the woods Sept. 15 while armed near Trump’s golf course, saying in an X post that day it had "responded to West Palm Beach, Florida, and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination attempt of former President Trump."
The U.S. Secret Service told Reuters on Sept. 16 that it knew about Musk’s post about the lack of assassination attempts on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, but said it didn’t "comment on matters involving protective intelligence."
We rate False claims the FBI said about Musk’s tweet, "Unlike his kids, we’re gonna visit him for this."
Our Sources
X post, Sept. 16, 2024
X post, Sept. 16, 2024
Instagram post, Sept. 16, 2024
FBI X post, Sept. 15, 2024
USA Today, Elon Musk's estranged daughter takes to X rival Threads to call him a liar, adulterer, Aug. 8, 2024
Reuters, US Secret Service says it is aware of Musk post about Biden, Harris, Sept. 16, 2024
The New York Times, Elon Musk writes, then deletes, a post musing about threats to Biden and Harris, Sept. 16, 2024
Statement from the FBI, Sept. 17, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
No, this isn’t an authentic FBI post responding to X owner Elon Musk about assassination attempts
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.