Trump and Musk Discuss Future of America on X

On Monday, in a much-discussed exchange, the former President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the head of Tesla and owner of X, Elon Musk, discussed X, previously called Twitter. The event was delayed by more than 40 minutes due to technical issues. It was Trump’s first time back on the platform after a one-year absence; it was a rare meeting of politics, technology, and appreciation.

A Delayed Start

The postponement of this high-stakes interview was a big blow to Trump’s campaign and to Musk’s bid to position X Spaces as a credible platform for such vital interactions. This was because Musk suspected that the company had been subjected to a Distributed Denial of Service attack (DDoS), a type of cyber-attack that involves flooding a site’s server with traffic to render it inaccessible. Musk blamed this delay on this ‘attack’; it is still uncertain whether this was a deliberate act of sabotage or that many people were trying to access the streaming service.

Musk posted on X that the system had been tested with 8 million concurrent listeners earlier in the day, but the issues appeared during the live event. However, the conversation did go on, though with fewer people present live, and was then shared for online consumption.

A Friendly Exchange

The conversation started getting going and it was a lot less like an interview and more like two people having a chat. Musk, who has supported Trump in the past, presented questions that let the former President focus on the topics that were essential for his campaign, including the issue of immigration, economic measures, and criticism of the current administration.

In the course of the dialogue, the two men showered each other with compliments. Musk was very assertive and said, ‘I think we are at a fork in the road of the destiny of civilization and I think you are on the right path’. Trump was also very grateful for the endorsement that he received from Musk and he appreciated it more than the other endorsements that he received.

Topics Covered are Extremely Diverse

The two discussed several issues and provided Trump an opportunity to state his stand on key issues. He shared the energy policy of the United States, the issue of climate change, and nuclear energy. Concerning immigration, Trump said that he would oversee the ‘biggest mass deportation in the history of this country’, something that is consistent with his position on the security of the borders.

For his part, Musk suggested the formation of a presidential commission on ‘government efficiency’ to which Trump agreed and said he would choose Musk to head it. This suggestion showed that Musk is still keen on shaping policies and emphasized the idea that there is much that needs to be changed in the government.

Controversial Remarks and Criticism

The conversation also went to issues that could be deemed as sensitive in some way. Trump claimed that the Dems were planning to stage a ‘coup’ to have Biden switch out of the race without any proof. He singled out Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to her appearance on the cover of Time magazine, and made insulting comments about Jewish people who vote for the Democrats.

There were moments in the conversation where Trump seemed to be slurring his speech or speaking with a lisp, a fact that was widely noted on social media. On this, when asked, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, “Must be your hearing.”

Harris’s campaign representatives were quick to use the conversation as a new opportunity to attack both Trump and Musk. A spokesman said that they were ‘apos; a bunch of self-obsessed, rich guys’ who have no idea what is going on in the lives of ordinary people. The Harris campaign also lampooned the tech problems that affected the event, referencing Trump’s comments about Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s tech problems at a previous X Space event.

Synopsis

The dialogue between the two leaders was an excellent example of how technology has become a political factor in the current world. Barring the technical hitches, the event provided Trump a chance to regurgitate his campaign themes while Musk made a statement about his political muscle.

On the positive side, the conversation went down well with their followers due to the friendly nature of the discussion, although on the flip side, it was criticized for not posing a stiff challenge, especially given the numerous claims that Trump made. This event is an addition to the 2024 election and shows how social media platforms like X are becoming a platform to determine the political outcomes of the country and how influential people like Trump and Musk are still playing their role in the country.