Elon Musk and Donald Trump participated in a widely viewed conversation on platform X on Monday. Musk emphasized that it was a discussion rather than a formal interview.
Despite initial technical difficulties caused by a DDoS attack, the event drew close to 1 billion views and covered a wide range of topics, including international relations, domestic issues, and Trump’s future plans.
Follwoing the event Monday, Musk opened the invitation to Vice President Kamla Harries, saying, “Happy to host Kamala on an 𝕏 Spaces too.”
Since becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris has not sat for an interview with any media outlet and has introduced only one policy proposal. This proposal closely mirrors a plan originally unveiled by former President Donald Trump: eliminating taxes on tips for service industry workers.
Trump blasted the mainstream media Tuesday, which some ridiculed the conversation with Musk and downplayed the event’s impact and reach.
“An all-time record, but the media refuses to write about it because they are FAKE NEWS!” Trump said on Truth Social.
USA Today’s coverage of the event was titled, “Trump rambles, slurs his way through Elon Musk interview. It was an unmitigated disaster.”
Newsweek said, “Donald Trump’s ‘Lisp’ During Elon Musk Interview Raises Questions,” while Reuters headlined with “Rambling Trump, Musk interview marred by tech issues.”
This event marked Trump’s return to the platform after a lengthy absence.
Former President Donald Trump reactivated his X account on Monday for the first time in a year, just hours before the live interview with Musk was scheduled.
A two-and-a-half-minute campaign video marked Trump’s return to X, which he had previously shared on other social media platforms and at campaign events.
The video, which portrays him as a political target amid multiple criminal indictments, was followed by at least four additional posts within the next two hours.
Read: CNN Data Guru Says Harris’ Polling Bump Is Causing Trump To Go ‘Bananas’ Despite ‘No Clear Leader’
Among these posts were a promotion for Musk’s interview and a jab at Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he called a “SAN FRANCISCO RADICAL.”
This activity on X comes after a long hiatus. Trump’s last post was his Fulton County Jail mugshot in 2023. Prior to that, his final post was an announcement two days after the January 6, 2021, riot stating that he would not attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
In conjunction with his return to the platform, Trump’s campaign began running ads on X under his @realDonaldTrump account ahead of the interview with Musk. However, data on the campaign’s spending on these ads was not yet available in X’s political advertising log, which updates periodically.
Previously, Trump’s campaign had utilized the @TeamTrump account rather than the former president’s personal account for advertising on X.
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