Elon Musk is using Bronny James' cardiac arrest to baselessly spout anti-vaccine talking points
AP Photo/Gregory Payan / AP Photo/Michel Euler
- Elon Musk is using Bronny James' cardiac arrest to share anti-vaccine talking points.
- James went into cardiac arrest Monday during a basketball practice at USC.
- In a tweet, Musk baselessly speculated about the COVID-19 vaccine, which has not been linked to James at all.
Elon Musk is using news of Bronny James' cardiac arrest to baselessly speculate about the COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday that James went into cardiac arrest during a Monday basketball practice at USC's Galen Center. He was taken to the hospital and was treated in the ICU. James is now in stable condition.
The news was shared widely on Twitter Tuesday, prompting Musk to share anti-vaccine talking points.
In a reply to a tweet about the James news, Musk brought up the COVID-19 vaccine — without having any proof it was connected to James' cardiac arrest.
"We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing," Musk said on Twitter — now rebranded as X. "Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common."
There is no credible reporting that the COVID vaccine caused James to go into cardiac arrest Monday, and myocarditis is a different condition from cardiac arrest.
Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on his tweet.
Musk has long been skeptical of mandating the COVID-19 vaccine and has questioned its effectiveness, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that the vaccine is safe and protects against severe COVID-19 illness.
Musk's social media site has also boosted the profile of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat running for president who's made vaccine skepticism a main talking point of his campaign.