Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and owner of the social media platform X, has disclosed that there have been two assassination attempts on his life within the past eight months.
The incidents, which involved individuals being arrested with guns near Tesla’s headquarters in Texas, came to light after a user on X expressed concerns about Musk’s safety following an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump.
“Please, please triple your protection. If they can come for Trump, they will also come for you,” the X user warned. Musk responded, “Dangerous times ahead. Two people (on separate occasions) have already tried to kill me in the past 8 months. They were arrested with guns about 20 minutes’ drive from Tesla HQ in Texas.”
The SpaceX chief’s revelation followed a shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire, killing one attendee and critically injuring two others. Secret Service agents shot and killed the suspected shooter, who had attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue. Trump reported on social media that a bullet had “pierced the upper part” of his right ear before agents whisked him offstage.
Musk has previously expressed concerns about his safety, claiming in 2022 that tech reporters were sharing his real-time location, which he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He subsequently banned their X accounts.
The suspensions were related to the journalists’ coverage of a now-banned X account called @ElonJet, which used publicly available flight records to update followers on the whereabouts of Musk’s private jet.
Additionally, Musk has faced threats from former Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin over the supply of Starlink satellite internet service to Ukraine. Musk, who is constantly shadowed by bodyguards, had previously joked about the threat, saying, “If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin’ ya.”
Following the Trump rally incident, Musk announced his endorsement of the Republican, stating, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.” He also called for the head of the Secret Service to resign, describing the shooting as “extreme incompetence” or “deliberate.”
