Former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk engaged in a friendly conversation on X after a delay of over 40 minutes due to technical difficulties. The high-profile interview delay was a setback for the Trump campaign as it seeks to regain momentum following the Democratic Party's support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
This marked the second time Musk faced setbacks in launching a highly attended X Space event with a presidential candidate. The discussion between Trump and Musk, who has endorsed Trump, marked Trump's return to X after a year of inactivity on the platform.
During the conversation, Musk asked Trump soft questions, allowing the former president to stick to his talking points on immigration and the economy. Trump's false claims were not challenged by Musk, who praised Trump and endorsed him as the right path for civilization.
Trump expressed gratitude for Musk's endorsement, and Musk suggested the formation of a new presidential commission on government efficiency with his appointment. The conversation covered various topics, including energy policy, climate change, immigration, and federal government spending.
Trump made baseless accusations against Democrats, discussed Harris' appearance on a magazine cover, and criticized Biden's mental state. The conversation also touched on tunnels, rockets, electric cars, and AI.
Technical difficulties at the start of the interview were attributed to a distributed denial-of-service attack, causing delays. Musk mentioned testing the system with 8 million concurrent listeners earlier in the day. The troubled start of the audio-only interview drew comparisons to a previous event with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that faced similar technical issues.
The delay and technical challenges did not deter the conversation between Trump and Musk, which covered a wide range of topics and attracted attention online. The Harris campaign criticized Trump and Musk as 'self-obsessed rich guys' who prioritize their interests over the middle class.
