Donald Trump ran through his list of conspiracy theories in a rambling verbal exchange with his ultra-rich supporter Elon Musk on Monday afternoon, which was first derailed by technical problems.
Trump’s return to X, formerly known as Twitter, lasted more than two hours, was incredibly friendly, and shed little light on Trump’s plans for a possible moment in the Oval Office.
What was billed as a “no holds barred” verbal exchange between the two billionaires began more than an hour late, with most of those tuning in unable to pay attention live.
Musk, the world’s richest man, according to Forbes, claimed to have evidence that X had suffered a “cyberattack. “
In a very one-sided way towards those who defend Israel.
The Republican standard-bearer also rejected climate change, which he said would create more genuine real estate opportunities.
“The biggest risk is not global warming, where the ocean will grow an eighth of an inch in the next 400 years,” he told Musk.
“You’ll have more beachfront properties, right?That is not the biggest risk. The biggest risk is nuclear warming, because we now have five countries that have significant nuclear strength and we will have to not allow anything to happen to other stupid people. people like Biden. “
The verbal exchange was aimed at reinvigorating Trump’s stuttering campaign, which has faltered since Biden dropped out of the race and was replaced by a burgeoning Kamala Harris.
Young men who see Musk as a hero are a primary target for Trump, whose supporters tend to be older.
Musk, who has said he once voted Democratic, has thrown all his weight (and wealth) at Trump since a gunman tried to assassinate the Republican at a rally last month.
During the conversation, Musk called Trump’s moves after the assassination attempt “inspiring,” saying that was part of the reason he was excited about his former president’s latest bid for the White House.
“Instead of running away from things, crouching, you raise your fist in the air and say ‘fight, fight, fight,'” Musk told Trump.
Trump reacted to the shooting by saying, “If I hadn’t turned my head, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now, even though I like you. “
The former president, who was shot in the ear, said the experience was “not pleasant,” adding, “I didn’t know I had that much blood. “
“The doctors told me later that the ear is a position. . . a very bloody position,” Trump said, noting that it was probably the most productive position he’s ever been hit in and calling it a “miracle” that his head tilted. towards her. the shooter, at that critical moment the bullet went through at full speed.
He said he now believed “more” in God that he survived the attack.
The former president said he plans to return in October to Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting occurred.
“We’re all ready,” Trump said, calling Butler a “great region. “”The other people are in Butler. “
The former president questioned Vice President Harris’ intelligence and her ability to be a leader on the global stage, saying “she’s a wise person. “
“We want other wise people and we want other people who have the ability to lead, and she doesn’t have that ability,” he said of his rival.
He spoke of Harris’ media coverage since she became the most sensible on the Democratic list, saying Harris enjoys a “free ride,” and Trump compared Harris’ appearance in a new Time magazine cover symbol to that of his spouse, Melania.
“Today, in Time magazine, she seems like the most charming actress of all time,” Trump said of Harris. “She is a drawing and, in fact, she looked a lot like a wonderful first lady, Melania. “
Harris’ crusader responded to the interview by saying that Trump’s “extremism” was “on full display” during the verbal exchange with Musk.
“Trump’s entire crusade is in the service of other people like Elon Musk and himself, other wealthy, self-obsessed people who are betraying average elegance and who probably won’t be able to livestream in 2024,” the spokesperson said. Crusade Speech, Joseph Costello.
These obvious technical difficulties come after Musk fired much of the platform’s staff and served as an uncomfortable reminder that the Tesla boss once supported Trump rival Ron DeSantis, whose crusade on the platform is also on doubt. prey to problems.
After all, when things got underway, Musk said that “the big attack illustrates that there’s a lot of opposition to other people just listening to what President Trump has to say. “
Musk commented X:
Trump was banned from Twitter after a mob of his supporters stormed the United States Capitol in January 2021, but Musk reinstated it when he took over the platform and renamed it.
Musk, a South Africa-born billionaire, has a prominent voice in American politics but has been accused of turning X into a megaphone for right-wing conspiracy theories.
He is one of the Democrats’ fiercest critics, leveraging his 194 million followers on X to attack liberal efforts to promote diversity and inclusion (what he calls the “woke brain virus”) and the handling of southern border by the White House.
In his “conversation” with Musk, Trump returned to a favorite topic: boasting about his connections to autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, and insisting that the United States would be safer under his leadership.
“One of the things we’re going to do is build an Iron Dome,” he said, referring to Israel’s missile defense system.
“We’re going to have the Iron Dome in the world. . . Because it only takes one crazy user to, you know, start something. “
Musk reiterated his support for Trump, saying the former president “was the path to prosperity and Kamala was the opposite. “
At one point, Musk also appeared to be seeking employment in a long-term Trump administration, suggesting he would like to serve on a cost-cutting committee.
“I think it would be wonderful to have a government commission on power that would look at those things and just make sure that taxpayers’ cashArray. . . is spent in the right way,” he said. “I would be pleased to make a contribution to such a commission. “
Trump convinced to run for job.
“You’re the most productive cutter,” he told the guy who cut after taking over Twitter.
Kaia Hubbard contributed to this report.