Musk Says Trump Win Would Result in ‘Hardship’ for Some Americans; Rolling Stone, October 27, 2024

NAOMI LACHANCE , Rolling Stone; Musk Says Trump Win Would Result in ‘Hardship’ for Some Americans

"Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, said that if Donald Trump wins and gives him a role in government, Americans will suffer “hardship,” as a result of efforts to address the national debt. He made the comments in a virtual town hall on his website, X, on Friday. 

 

When asked about “tackling the nation’s debt,” he mentioned changing the tax code, and then went on to say there would be some financial difficulty imposed on some Americans: “Most importantly, we have to reduce spending to live within our means,” he said, adding that these efforts will “involve some some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long term prosperity.”

Later on, Musk said that he would “balance the budget immediately,” adding: “Obviously, a lot of people who are taking advantage of government are going to be upset about that. I’ll probably need a lot of security, but it’s got to be done. And if it’s not done, we’ll just go bankrupt.”...

At another point during the town hall, Musk once again “joked” about someone killing Harris, the vice president.  

Calling Harris a “puppet,” Musk said: “I made a joke that was sort of misconstrued, that it was like, ‘Nobody even bothers to try to kill Kamala.’ That’s pointless. Why? They’ll just get another puppet. Nobody even bothers. Nobody’s even tried to kill [Joe] Biden.”"