NEW DELHI: Former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk participated in a highly anticipated live conversation on X on Monday night, marking Trumpโs return to the platform after nearly a year of inactivity.
The interview, which was Muskโs second attempt to host a high-profile X Space with a presidential candidate, attracted significant attention. Despite the initial hiccups, the conversation between the former president and the tech billionaire proceeded smoothly once it began.
Musk, who has publicly endorsed Trump, steered the discussion with a series of favourable questions that allowed him to reiterate his campaign messages. Topics included immigration, the economy, energy policy, climate change, and the threat of nuclear warfare.
Throughout the conversation, Trump repeated parts of his campaign stump speech. Musk, at one point, described the current moment as a โfork in the road of the destiny of civilizationโ and suggested that Trump was the right leader to guide the country forward. Trump responded warmly, stating that Muskโs endorsement โmeant a lotโ to him, emphasizing its importance over other endorsements he had received.
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In a notable exchange, Musk proposed that Trump consider forming a presidential commission focused on โgovernment efficiencyโ and appoint him to lead it. Trump immediately expressed his enthusiasm for the idea, stating, โIโd love it.โ
The conversation began with a detailed account of Trumpโs assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13. Trump praised the Secret Service and local police for their swift response, attributing his survival to their vigilance.
Trump without evidence accused Democrats of a coup to remove President Joe Biden from the ballot. He discussed Harrisโ appearance on a Time magazine cover and took jabs at Bidenโs mental state. He also said Jewish people who vote for Democrats should have their โheads examined.โ
โWe can talk about tunnels and rockets and electric cars, so many things. And now youโre into the AI, and thatโs going to be another beauty,โ Trump said to Musk towards the end of their conversation.
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At several points during the interview, Trumpโs speech appeared slightly slurred, leading to online speculation about his health. When questioned about it, Trumpโs campaign spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed the concerns, responding, โMust be your hearing.โ
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign quickly criticized the interview, describing Trump and Musk as โself-obsessed rich guysโ who are more interested in serving their agendas than in supporting the middle class.
Harris campaign spokesman Joseph Costello was quoted as saying, โTrumpโs entire campaign is in service of people like Elon Musk and himself โ self-obsessed rich guys who will sell out the middle class and who cannot run a livestream in the year 2024.โ
This conversation on X, which marked Trumpโs return to the platform after posting his mugshot from the Georgia election subversion case last August, also led to a surge in his online following, with Trump gaining around 900,000 new followers by Monday night.
