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The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire faced immediate backlash after writing in a social media post that anyone who assassinates Vice President Kamala Harris would be an “American hero.”
The party made the post on Sunday before deleting it the same day, according to a screenshot shared by New Hampshire political journalist Colin Booth.
“Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero,” the post read.
The party then deleted the post and issued a statement.
“We deleted a tweet because we don’t want to break the terms of this website we agreed to,” the party wrote. “It’s a shame that even on a ‘free speech’ website that libertarians cannot speak freely. Libertarians are truly the most oppressed minority.”
Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee, condemned the since-deleted post.
“I 100% condemn the statement from LPNH regarding Kamala Harris,” Oliver wrote. “It is abhorrent and should never have been posted.”
“As Libertarians, we condemn the use of force, whether committed by governments, individuals, or other political entities,” he continued. “We are dedicated to the principle of non-aggression and to peaceful solutions to conflict.”
“This is also something we pledge as part of attaining party membership. LPNH’s statement should rightfully be condemned by all people.”
The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire responded to Oliver’s statement, telling him to “f*** off” and “read any book on libertarianism.” They went on to call him a homophobic slur.
The Independent has contacted the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire for comment.
The incendiary statement was posted the same day Donald Trump was targeted in a second apparent assassination attempt at his West Palm Beach golf resort.
Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested on Sunday after Secret Service officers spotted a man aiming a rifle while hiding in the bushes of the golf resort. He is believed to have criticized Trump online and said he is willing to “fight and die” in Ukraine.
He appeared in court on Monday and faces two gun charges.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk weighed in on the incident with his own inflammatory post, quickly receiving backlash for his comments.
“And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala,” Musk wrote on X. His statement came in response to a user who asked, “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?”
Musk went on to delete the post.
“Well, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on X,” Musk wrote. “Turns out that jokes are WAY less funny if people don’t know the context and the delivery is plain text.”
