Elon Musk’s interview with Donald Trump started over 40 minutes on the social network X on Monday after a “massive” cyber attack, according to the site’s owner.
• Read more: Donald Trump in an interview with Elon Musk tonight live on X
Due to technical glitches, interviews were initially not accessible for a long time. Mr. Musk promised that they were due to “a massive DDOS attack” aimed at causing downtime on the company’s servers through a so-called denial of service.
“This massive attack illustrates the reluctance of many people to listen to President Trump,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss said as he finally began the interview.
Elon Musk has promised a “very entertaining” time with the man he now openly supports in the race for the White House.
The conversation between the two billionaires was broadcast on Donald Trump’s account, which was suspended after an attack on the Capitol by his supporters, but restored in 2022 after Elon Musk took over the social network.
However, the former president has yet to take control of his favorite communication channel, continuing to favor his own platform, Truth Social, for his daily releases.
But Monday’s burst of news — between campaign videos and publicity for the interview — hinted at a return.
The interview “should be highly entertaining, with no pre-determined script, no limits on the topics covered!” Elon Musk promised.
But the exercise could be dangerous between two men accustomed to outrageous and controversial statements, accused of becoming mouthpieces for the far-right on social media and lax in the face of misinformation.
Hours before the interview, European Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton alerted Elon Musk, sending a letter reminding him of his moderation obligations.
In a provocative post, Elon Musk responded with an insulting meme, while joking that he wouldn’t dare post something “so crude and irresponsible.”
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Donald Trump, said the EU should “mind itself and not try to interfere in the US presidential election”.
Fiasco
The interview recalls a setback X had already faced when he entered the campaign of former Republican candidate Ron DeSantis, weighed down by on-air and technical issues.
Elon Musk regularly attacks Democrats on the site (formerly Twitter), which has 193 million subscribers.
Last month, he officially endorsed the Republican candidate after an assassination attempt against him.
The South African has never been a staunch defender of Donald Trump, with whom he has clashed publicly. But the two have continued to grow closer in recent months.
They met in March and have continued to talk on the phone since then The Wall Street Journal. Even an advisory role for the tech mogul is under discussion if the former president regains the keys to the White House.
The 53-year-old billionaire, as recently reported in the press, does not want to donate ten million dollars a month to the campaign of the former president. He spoke of “very low” levels.
“I respect Elon Musk a lot, and he respects me,” Donald Trump said at a press conference last week. “Like me, he thinks there are big problems in this country and big risks.”
Different audiences
Last week, Donald Trump tried to reach a different audience by giving an interview to Aden Rose, already a controversial influencer, and pledged to his cause and popular among young people like Elon Musk.
The former president will speak on the economy in North Carolina on Wednesday and then be in Pennsylvania at a rally on Saturday. However, Joe Biden’s campaign has struggled since his shock withdrawal of the nomination.
Although the 78-year-old Republican appears to be in a good position against the 81-year-old president, Kamala Harris’ candidacy has sparked a wave of enthusiasm, which is reflected in the polls.
After touring key states last week, the vice president will tour with Joe Biden on Thursday on the theme of the cost of living.
Next big gathering: Next week, the Democratic convention in Chicago has rallied around the “ticket” formed by the 59-year-old candidate and his new running mate, Tim Walls.
