Former President Donald Trump returned to the social platform X after being reinstated in 2023 for an interview with its owner, Elon Musk.
Trump and Musk spoke for almost two hours on Aug. 12 after dealing with some technical issues that stopped X users from joining. As users posted screenshots of their technical problems, Musk blamed the issue on a “massive DDOS,” or denial-of-service attack, that must’ve targeted the platform.
“As this massive attack illustrates, there’s a lot of opposition to people just hearing what President Trump has to say,” Musk said to listeners.
The two conservatives touched on an array of topics about the indicted businessman’s campaign, including the assassination attempt on Trump, immigration views, the future of energy being produced and the economy.
Musk, who has offered millions of dollars in financial support to Trump’s White House bid, provided his view on climate change, promoting how the United States should avoid vilifying the oil and gas industry but “should lean in the direction of sustainability.” In the past, Trump claimed to be an advocate for “clean air” and “clean water,” but has openly denied believing in climate change.
While discussing immigration, Musk, who was born in South Africa, said he thinks legal immigration is a good thing and labeled most of the people who cross the border illegally as “good people.” But he advocated for a more robust vetting process in an effort to s
top dangerous migrants from crossing into the country. Trump’s extreme views on border patrol have prompted false narratives, including that other nations have emptied inmates of their prisons and mental institutions into the Southern border.Trump even claimed that some are entering the United States and speaking languages no one has heard.
As conversation topics targeted some of the country’s leading business owners, some raised concerns about how Trump overpowered close to an hour of the conversation. According to Business Insider, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban noted how long Trump spoke over Musk.
“Aren’t most conversations a little more balanced?” he noted. “Shouldn’t both participants ask the other questions rather than only one asking?”
Other business owners like Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, took another route and asked Musk to request insight from the GOP presidential candidate on topics he has dodged, like celebrating the fictional cannibalistic villain from the 1991 film, The Silence of the Lambs. Levie later deleted his post.
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has a strained relationship with both Musk and
Trump, called the interview a “complete failure.” “Glitchy. Tech issues. Uncomfortable silences. A complete failure to launch. And that’s just the candidate,” Newsom said on the platform.Some CEOs praised the conversation, like Mark Pincus, the founder of Zynga and the creator of FarmVille. “Trump is strong in conversation. Hate me for stating truths!” he said.