Biden Makes a Brutal Dig on Elon Musk and Donald Trump Using His ‘I’m Sick’ COVID-19 Announcement

In a fundraising pitch, President Joe Biden poked fun at his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, and tech tycoon Elon Musk, using his positive COVID-19 diagnosis as the premise for the joke. Not long after reports of his positive COVID-19 test spread, Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I’m sick.” However, he followed up with another post that continued, “of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election. And if you agree, pitch in here,” per TIME Magazine.

The post featured images of Trump and Musk and a link to a fundraising page for the Biden campaign, per The Hill. Biden is “experiencing mild symptoms,” according to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. He “will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.”

“The President presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, including rhinorrhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise. He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” the president’s doctor said in a statement.

After a shooter opened fire on the former president during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, Musk formally endorsed Trump for the 2024 presidential race in a post on X. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk said in a post on Twitter. Musk has frequently posted remarks in favor of Trump on the social media platform and has blasted Biden on X for his immigration views and age. Musk allegedly declared that he would donate around $45 million every month to a PAC that supports Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, the tech mogul then posted a joke on X with the phrase “FAKE GNUS” in response to The Journal's article.

Biden's campaign has taken on the billionaire directly via an email to its supporters, per Business Insider. "Musk is using his vast fortune to try to control our democracy," the title reads. "The richest person in the world is now on Team MAGA," the email reads. Biden's team brought up Musk's reported monthly promise of $45 million to America PAC, slamming the tech tycoon. "Musk already ruined Twitter by allowing hate speech and disinformation to flood the platform," reads another jab at Musk in the mail.

"Arrogant billionaires only out for themselves are not what America wants or what America needs," a Biden campaign spokesman told Bloomberg. "Elon knows Trump is a sucker who will sell America out, cutting his taxes while raising taxes on the middle class by $2,500."