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 unilateral way towards those who defend Israel.
The Republican standard-bearer also downplayed climate change, which he said would only create more genuine real estate opportunities.
“The biggest risk is not global warming, where the ocean will shrink by an eighth of an inch in the next 400 years,” he told Musk.
“You’ll have more beachfront properties, right?The biggest risk is rarely that. 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 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 the main target of Trump, whose supporters tend to be older.
Musk, who said he once voted Democratic, has thrown 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 they were part of the reason he was excited about his former president’s latest bid for office. 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 is probably the most productive position he has ever been hit with and calling it a “miracle. “The fact that his head was tilted towards the shooter, at that critical moment, the bullet passed at full speed.
He said he now believes “more” in God because 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 wonderful place. ” “The other people are in Butler. “
The former president questioned Vice President Harris’ intelligence and 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 ticket, saying Harris is getting a “free ride,” and Trump compared Harris’ appearance on 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 claiming that Trump’s “extremism” was “completely visible” 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 first started, Musk said that “the big attack illustrates that there is a lot of opposition to other people simply 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 African-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 and leverages his 194 million supporters to attack liberal efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, what he calls the “mind virus. “awake” – and the White House’s handling of the southern border.
In his “conversation” with Musk, Trump returned to a favorite theme: boasting about his relationships with autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, and insisting that the United States would be safer under his command. address.
“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 firmness towards Trump, saying that the former president “was the path to prosperity and Kamala was the opposite. “
At one point, Musk also appeared to favor a long-term assignment in a 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 is confident of running for office.
“You’re the most productive cutter,” he told the guy he cut after taking over Twitter.
Kaia Hubbard contributed to this report.