Nearly all of the opinions held by the richest and probably most powerful man in the world at the time were in agreement.
In an attempt to impede the ascent of Democratic contender Kamala Harris, tech magnate Elon Musk opened up his X platform on Monday night, providing Donald Trump with a conduit devoid of fact-checks for his assertions, conspiracies, and extremism.
The conversation marked the beginning of yet another incredible chapter in a presidential campaign that has defied logic in recent weeks with its startling turns, such as President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of his reelection campaign and an attempt on Trump’s life.
The former president has been in disarray, unable to handle the new Democratic nominee’s explosive start. During their lengthy conversation, Musk appeared to be giving Trump advice on how to strengthen his case against Harris at points by using the influence of his platform and reputation.
At one point, Trump remarked of a Democratic opponent who had erased his lead in the polls in just three weeks as a candidate, “She’s a believer in being radical left.” Furthermore, the ex-president, who attempted to rig an election in which he lost, falsely said that Biden had been forcibly removed from office in order to make room for Harris. Say what you will about this swindle, this was a coup, but she hasn’t interviewed since it all began. “This was a presidential coup for the United States,” a furious Trump said.
Musk flatteringly implied that he was powerful and his Democratic opponents were weak, agreeing with Trump that Harris was a radical lefty. “Do they fear the American president, or is it someone they do not respect and do not fear?” he said, referring to America’s foes. Let’s examine the assassination video. Let me just say that President Trump is saying, “Don’t mess with me.”
Musk has previously given Trump his support, and on Monday night, he made it clear that he wanted Trump to be elected to a second term. “The road to wealth is ahead of you. He said to Trump, “And I believe Kamala to be the reverse.
At the lowest point in the Republican contender’s campaign thus far, Musk—who has enormous commercial stakes in gaining good treatment from the next administration—offered the nominee an audience of at least 1.3 million listeners simultaneously. Furthermore, he estimated that in the upcoming days, the information will be viewed by at least 100 million people.
Both Trump and Musk had lots to gain
During the course of the event, there were instances where Trump — who has spent considerable time critiquing Biden for his age, speech impediment, and occasional difficulty in articulating complete sentences — seemed to exhibit signs of speech irregularities, such as lisping or slurring. The cause of these peculiarities remained ambiguous, leaving room for speculation on whether technical issues were at fault. When pressed for clarification, Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, quipped dismissively, “Must be your hearing.”
The congenial exchange between the business magnate and the former president highlighted the mutually beneficial nature of their interaction.
Musk seized the moment to convey his perspectives on pivotal matters such as immigration, economic policies, reduction of governmental oversight, and tax alleviations to a potential future president renowned for his transactional approach to leadership. Given the vast influence of Musk’s enterprises, including SpaceX — a cornerstone of the U.S. space program — and Tesla, a leader in electric vehicle manufacturing, shifts in governmental policy could significantly impact his business interests. The dialogue was laden with the potential for conflicts of interest, underscoring the disparity between the access afforded to a billionaire and that available to the average American, who would never find themselves in such a privileged position to sway a prospective president’s ear.
At one juncture, Musk even proposed assuming a role within the U.S. government, perhaps serving on an efficiency commission tasked with curtailing the bureaucratic apparatus. Trump expressed enthusiasm for the idea, stating that he would “love it” if Musk became involved, lauding the billionaire as a superb “cutter” of inefficiency.
From Trump’s vantage point, the investment of over two hours was amply rewarded. Musk refrained from challenging any of Trump’s falsehoods or fabrications — such as his outlandish claim that 60 million undocumented migrants would flood the United States if he were to lose in the upcoming November election.
Throughout the discussion, Musk minimized the risks posed by global warming while simultaneously championing his groundbreaking electric vehicle ventures. Trump, on the other hand, raised alarms about the dangers of “nuclear warming,” which he claimed was a greater threat than “global warming.” It remained unclear whether Trump was attempting to reference nuclear energy — which Musk contended was “not as frightening as people think.”
This interaction vividly illustrated the profound transformation in presidential politics wrought by social media and the fragmentation of traditional journalism. Trump’s rise to political prominence in 2016, a feat inextricably linked to the zenith of Twitter, would have been inconceivable without his mastery of the platform. His unparalleled ability to harness the power of this new medium rendered the 2016 presidential race a singular convergence of individual and historical moment.
Now, eight years later, under the stewardship of Musk, who advocates for unbridled free speech, X has dismantled many of the protective measures designed to curb the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories. As such, it serves as an ideal stage for the former president to evade the scrutiny of traditional media and weave his narrative of alternate realities — a narrative that resonates deeply with his legion of followers.
Republican voices have decried what they perceive as the overly favorable media treatment of Harris’s emerging campaign. Yet few candidates have enjoyed the smooth passage that the Republican nominee experienced on X on Monday night.
In a reflection of the global political implications stemming from X’s evolution, European Commissioner Thierry Breton penned a letter to Musk, admonishing him to take steps to prevent the “amplification of harmful content” that could be accessed by users within the European Union.
Cheung, in a retort on X, advised the EU to “mind their own business instead of trying to meddle in the U.S. Presidential election,” an exchange that bodes ill for the already strained relations between the Trump-Musk alliance and Europe.
After years of avoiding Twitter and X, Trump had gushing praise for Musk
On Monday night, Trump unleashed a torrent of falsehoods and hyperbolic statements, touching on a wide range of topics, including the number of migrants crossing the border, the inflation crisis — which has since moderated, his ongoing legal challenges, the current administration’s energy policies, and his familiar yet unsubstantiated claim that foreign nations are offloading their prisoners across the southern US border.
There’s little doubt that many of Trump’s supporters, whether listening live or catching snippets of the discussion in the days to follow, will find resonance in much of what the former president espoused. This, in turn, underscores his enduring political viability, even after Harris altered the dynamics of the race.
At certain moments, Trump presented a more structured and pointed argument for why he deserves a second term, in contrast to his recent appearances, where he seemed unsettled by the evolving race, which he once believed was his to lose against Biden. Both Trump and Musk blamed the current administration, including the president and vice president, for implementing spending policies that they claimed exacerbated the inflationary pressures that have burdened millions of Americans.
However, Trump’s habitual digressions and his penchant for amplifying conspiracy theories also highlighted the reasons why many voters find him off-putting, raising doubts about his appeal to suburban and female voters in key battleground states.
Initially, it appeared that the session might serve as a new symbol of Trump’s frequent missteps, as it was marred by technical difficulties from the outset. Musk attributed these issues to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, though there was no immediate confirmation that malicious actors were indeed responsible. “There is significant opposition to people simply hearing what President Trump has to say,” Musk remarked.
The Harris campaign wasted no time in reacting, sharing a post from Trump’s Truth Social account from the previous year in which he criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the rocky start to his primary campaign during a glitch-ridden Twitter Spaces event with Musk.
This event also marked Trump’s re-emergence on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, from which he had been banned by the site’s previous owners following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. His account was reinstated by Musk.
Anyone who sat through the entire two-hour dialogue would have gleaned more about Musk’s shifting political views — and his growing inclination to leverage his influence and wealth to voice them — than anything novel about Trump. Yet, the former president was effusively appreciative of a new ally in a time of political exigency.
“You’re an extraordinary individual; you’ve accomplished remarkable things. You are a tremendous source of inspiration to many,” Trump declared before signing off.
