Topline
Former President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated interview with billionaire X owner Elon Musk Monday was largely reflective of a Trump campaign speech, as Musk allowed Trump to riff about his preferred talking points at length—after the livestream began more than 40 minutes due to glitches on X that Musk blamed on a cyberattack.
PARAGUAY – 2024/07/16: In this photo illustration, the X (Twitter) logo seen displayed on a … [+]
Key Facts
The interview, initially scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT, began just under 45 minutes late, with Musk beginning the conversation by suggesting adversaries attacked the site to prevent Trump from being heard.
The conversation began with a discussion between Musk and Trump about last month’s assassination attempt, before covering immigration and other frequent Trump talking points.
Musk rarely interjected—a dynamic Trump acknowledged, telling Musk “it’s nice to have a forum like this where I can discuss things at length.”
Musk also sold Trump on his idea of a “government efficiency commission,” which Musk said previously he would like to be a part of; Trump said Monday he would “love” if Musk were to have a role on such a commission.
Trump also reiterated his plan to shut down the Department of Education if elected, saying he wants to “move education back to the states” and adding that he believes at least 35 of the 50 states “would do great” in such a scenario.
Prior to the interview beginning, many users who tried to access it on the audio streaming feature X Spaces were directed to a “details not available” message via the link Trump posted on his X account; by 8:30 p.m., the interview still had not begun, and hold music played as 765,000 users tuned in.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Tangent
Musk tweeted the server was disrupted by a “massive [distributed denial of service]
attack” X was working to shut down, adding that the interview might proceed with a small number of listeners and be posted in full later. There’s no verified evidence of a DDOS attack.
News Peg
The interview began with Musk explaining it was meant to be a “conversation,” rather than an “adversarial interview” when Musk said “no one’s themselves.” Musk started the discussion by asking Trump to recap the assassination attempt, calling Trump’s reaction to the shooting in Pennsylvania last month—after which he stood up and raised his fist as Secret Service escorted him off stage—“incredibly inspiring.” The conversation then pivoted to immigration, with both Musk and Trump lamenting a surge in unauthorized immigration in recent years and Trump promising the “largest deportation in the history of this country” if he’s re-elected. Trump repeated his baseless claim that formerly incarcerated people from Venezuela and other South American countries have flooded the border. Discussing President Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the race, with Trump called it a “coup” within the Democratic Party and Trump alleging Democrats “just took [Biden] out back behind the shed and basically shot him.”
Key Background
Musk interviewed Trump as the two have formed an alliance in recent months, with Musk spearheading a pro-Trump super PAC backed by fellow billionaires and endorsing Trump immediately after the assassination attempt against him. The interview comes as Trump’s campaign is experiencing a low point following Vice President Kamala Harris’ entrance into the race, including sagging poll numbers and bipartisan criticism of his questioning of Harris’ race. Hours before the interview was set to air, Trump returned to X for the first time in more than a year, publishing a campaign video in which he laments the various indictments against him and other tweets promoting his interview with Musk and criticizing Harris.
Surprising Fact
The delays are reminiscent of Musk’s glitch-plagued interview with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the start of his GOP presidential campaign last year that began more than 30 minutes late.
Further Reading
Elon Musk’s Political Shift: How The Billionaire Moved From Backing Obama To Endorsing DeSantis (Forbes)
Donald Trump Returns To X Ahead Of Elon Musk Interview—Tweeting For First Time In A Year (Forbes)
2022 midterms, 2024 presidential campaign, the January 6 House committee investigation, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, the 2023 State of the Union Address, former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference and classified documents cases and his Manhattan hush money case. Dorn graduated in 2012 from the University of Dayton with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining Forbes, she covered New York City and state politics for the New York Post and City and State magazine. Follow her for updates and analysis on the 2024 presidential race, key Senate and House races and developments in Congress and at the White House.
“>
