Donald Trump went through his list of conspiracy theories in an incoherent verbal exchange with his ultra-wealthy supporter Elon Musk on Monday afternoon, which was derailed first 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 rejected climate change, which he said would create more genuine real estate opportunities.
“The biggest risk is not global warming, where the ocean will shrink 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 faltering campaign, which has faltered since Biden dropped out of the race and was replaced by a resurgent Kamala Harris.
Young people who see Musk as a hero are a primary target for Trump, whose supporters tend to be older.
Musk, who said he once voted Democratic, has thrown his weight — and his 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, ducking, you would 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 had ever been hit and calling it a “miracle. ” The fact that his head was tilted towards the shooter, at that critical moment, the bullet sped past.
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 “great region. “”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 is a wise person. “
“We want 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 rose to the most sensible Democratic rankings, saying Harris got a “free ride,” and Trump compared Harris’ appearance in a new symbol of Time magazine coverage to that of his spouse, Melania.
“Today in Time magazine she looks like the most beautiful actress of all time,” Trump said of Harris. “She was a drawing and 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, the self-obsessed rich who are betraying the middle class and who will not be able to live stream in 2024,” said campaign spokesman Joseph Costello.
The obvious technical difficulties come after Musk laid off much of the platform’s staff and served as an awkward reminder that the Tesla chief once subsidized Trump rival Ron DeSantis, whose launch crusade on the platform was also plagued by 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:
Trump was banned from Twitter after a mob of his supporters stormed the United States Capitol in January 2021, but Musk reinstated him 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 Democrats’ fiercest critics, leveraging his 194 million followers to attack liberal efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, what he calls the “mental virus. ” awake” – and the White House’s handling of the southern border.
In his “conversation” with Musk, Trump returned to a favorite topic: 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 are 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 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 the taxpayers’ cashArray . . . is spent in the right way,” he said. I would be happy 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.