Vice President Kamala Harris refrained from commenting on two contentious issues — TikTok regulation and Elon Musk’s promotion of an antisemitic conspiracy — despite the White House’s previous strong stances on both matters.
During an interview at The New York Times’ annual DealBook summit, Harris was asked about TikTok by CNBC Squawk Box host Andrew Ross Sorkin, Harris declined to express a specific view, stating firmly:
“I’m not commenting.”
Similarly, she avoided questions about Elon Musk and his recent promotion of what may say is an antisemitic claim on the social media site X.
When pressed by Ross Sorkin, who mentioned the White House’s condemnation of Musk’s statement, Harris maintained:
“I have nothing to say.”
Regarding Musk’s trip to Israel, Harris reiterated her refusal to comment on individuals, emphasizing her focus on discussing issues rather than people.
Harris’s silence on these matters occurred as her re-election campaign with President Joe Biden gains momentum.
Despite the White House’s vocal stance on TikTok and the Musk controversy, Harris chose not to provide comments during the DealBook interview.
This reticence stands in contrast to the White House’s proactive approach to both TikTok and Musk. The administration supports a bill in Congress that would grant the president the authority to ban TikTok due to national security concerns.
Proponents of the bill cite the potential for China to access internal data from companies based in the country.
Elon Musk faced criticism for replying to an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, but during his DealBook interview, he apologized for the tweet, describing it as potentially the “dumbest” post he had made.
The White House had condemned Musk’s initial statement, denouncing the promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.
Despite these condemnations, the Biden administration acknowledged the importance of Tesla and SpaceX technology to U.S. national security, with the Pentagon commissioning contracts with Musk’s companies for military applications, including use in the conflict in Ukraine.
