 "Trump-Musk interview: Mocking climate change to mass deportations. Details")
Elon Musk’s highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump got underway after a 40-minute delay caused by technical glitches on X’s Spaces platform. Originally scheduled to start at 8 pm EDT, the interview was delayed due to what Musk later described as a significant denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the platform.
A DDoS attack, which is a federal criminal offence, involves overwhelming a website with excessive data to render it inaccessible. Musk mentioned this issue 18 minutes into the delayed interview, posting on X that the platform was experiencing what he called a “massive” DDoS attack.
X hits technical snag
Before the interview, outage tracker Downdetector reported a surge in user complaints about X being inaccessible, starting even before the interview was scheduled to begin. However, it was not immediately clear whether this was indeed the result of a malicious attack, as Musk suggested.
Later, as the interview finally commenced, Musk reiterated that the delay was caused by a “massive distributed denial of service attack (DDoS)” on X servers. He went on to imply that the attack could be seen as evidence of substantial opposition to the idea of people simply listening to what President Trump had to say. Musk also drew a parallel to similar technical difficulties encountered during his May 2023 interview with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on X Spaces, which he had attributed at the time to X’s servers being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of traffic.
Despite the initial technical problems, the Trump-Musk interview managed to attract over a million listeners from across the globe. Trump opened the conversation by congratulating Musk, remarking, “You broke records, you silence voices.” He continued with, “Congratulations for breaking every record in the book,” emphasising the significance of the event despite the earlier glitches.
Trump on his assassination attempt
Musk steered the conversation to the recent assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. When asked about the incident, Trump candidly spoke about the experience, reflecting on the seriousness of the situation. “I didn’t know I had that much blood,” he joked, adding that the outcome was the “best alternative you could think about” given that he wasn’t more severely injured.
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Trump further shared that the experience had deepened his faith, saying, “I’m a believer, now. I’m more of a believer in God, I think,” following the attack. He also suggested that his stance on immigration may have made him a target. Trump went on to announce that he plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, in October, where he survived the assassination attempt on July 13.
During the discussion, Musk suggested lightheartedly that the charts Trump was looking at just moments before the gunfire may have saved his life by prompting him to adjust his position. In response, Trump humorously quipped, “Illegal immigration saved my life,” referencing both the assassination attempt and the topic he was discussing when the shots rang out.
Donald Trump mocks climate change
Trump also took the opportunity to mock concerns about climate change, flippantly suggesting that rising ocean levels would simply result in “more oceanfront property.” What raised many eyebrows was Musk’s silence on this matter. Musk, who had famously distanced himself from Trump in 2017 by leaving the presidential advisory councils after Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords, chose not to challenge Trump’s dismissive remarks.
Musk’s silence also marked a significant departure from his earlier statements, where he had passionately argued that “Tesla exists to help reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change, which affects all species on Earth.” Musk’s decision not to push back against Trump’s climate comments during the interview led to speculation about his current views on the issue.
Meanwhile, Trump appeared to soften his previous criticism of electric vehicles, acknowledging Musk’s leadership at Tesla. This shift in tone was notable, particularly since Trump had been active on X in the hours leading up to the interview, posting at least eight individual messages.
Trump promises historic deportations
Trump also used the platform to unveil a bold new proposal, announcing what he called the largest mass deportation effort in US history. This proposal, which Trump described as a central component of his campaign, aims to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States.
He declared, “We will undertake the largest deportation effort ever seen in this country,” and framed the initiative as a crucial step in restoring order and enforcing immigration laws to their fullest extent. Trump argued that such decisive action is necessary to protect national security and maintain economic stability, stating, “We need to take decisive action to protect our borders and our citizens.” He presented the mass deportation plan as a necessary response to what he perceives as an ongoing crisis of illegal immigration.
Donald Trump shares plans to shutdown Education Department
In another significant moment during the interview, Trump discussed his vision for the future of education in the United States. He welcomed the idea of Musk joining his next administration to help reduce government waste, proposing that Musk could play a role in a prospective “government efficiency commission.” Trump praised Musk, calling him “the greatest cutter,” and emphasised his desire for someone with Musk's ‘strength, courage, and smarts’ in his administration.
Trump then revealed his intention to close the Department of Education and return control of education to the states, saying, “I need an Elon Musk — I need somebody that has a lot of strength and courage and smarts. I want to close up the Department of Education, move education back to the states.”
During the interview, Trump also expressed his appreciation for Musk’s endorsement in the 2024 US presidential election, saying, “Your endorsement means a lot to me." Musk, in turn, underscored the importance of Trump’s victory, stating, "It is really essential that you win for the good of the country.”
Trump blames Biden for Ukraine invasion
As the conversation continued, Trump shifted his focus to foreign policy, specifically addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He claimed that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Joe Biden were not president, arguing that his strong relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin could have prevented the conflict.
Trump elaborated on his interactions with Putin, stating, “I got along with Putin very well, and he respected me,” adding that he had frequently discussed Ukraine with Putin, describing the country as “the apple of his eye.” According to Trump, he had warned Putin against taking action, telling him, “But I told him, don’t do it.” Musk, instead of challenging Trump’s assertions, appeared to agree, saying, “You’ve made an excellent point.”
Elon Musk pitches EVs to Trump fans ‘without demonising people’
Donald Trump used a long-ranging conversation with billionaire donor Elon Musk on Monday night to urge the Tesla Inc chief executive officer’s followers to vote for the Republican presidential candidate. But Musk also had a more subtle message for Trump supporters: “Stop demonising EVs.”
Musk said the world should move toward sustainable energy and that battery-powered cars could be part of that future without requiring people to give up the things they like to do.
“When you look at our cars, we don’t believe that environmentalism, that caring about the environment, should mean that you have to suffer,” Musk said. “So we make sure that our cars are, are beautiful if they drive well if they’re fast, they’re, you know, sexy.”
International reactions to Trump-Musk interview
The interview drew significant attention and also raised concerns on an international level. Thierry Breton, the European Union’s commissioner for the internal market, expressed his apprehensions regarding the potential “amplification of harmful content” that could result from broadcasting the interview.
In a letter shared on X, Breton urged Musk to ensure that the platform adheres to EU regulations, particularly the Digital Services Act that was enacted in 2022 to combat disinformation. Responding to Breton's warning, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticised the EU, suggesting that they should ‘mind their own business’ rather than interfere in the US presidential election. Cheung went further, labelling the EU as ‘an enemy of free speech’ and asserting that they had no authority to influence how the campaign is conducted.