Elon Musk gives Donald Trump free rein for a feast of misinformation on X
The conversation between the Republican candidate and one of his most important financiers was marked by technical errors and falsehoods
Fade to black and loading errors. That was the first thing tens of thousands of users experienced when they logged into X to watch the keenly anticipated conversation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Technical glitches caused thousands to disconnect from the chat, which eventually started 45 minutes later than scheduled. The tech mogul argued that his social network had been the target of a hacking offensive to prevent users from gaining access. “There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on X. Working on shutting it down,” said Musk, who explained that they had run tests to allow the platform to support up to eight million viewers. When the talk finally began, millions of people were exposed to two hours of half-truths, exaggerations, and lies.
The conversation fell short of the potential eight million viewers. According to the platform’s count a maximum of 2.1 million people came online despite Trump, with his fixation on physical or virtual capacity, stating that up to 60 million had listened to the cordial chat between tycoons. Musk had stated that he wanted to present a more relaxed former president, who would express himself as if in privacy and not under the pressures of a rally or a traditional press interview. But there was little difference between the Republican candidate’s words on X and his standard discourse at other conventional election events.
Those who logged on were treated to a feast of misinformation from Trump, which Musk allowed barely unfiltered. The Tesla and SpaceX owner has put his money behind the Republican candidate in the November presidential race with $45 million invested in Trump’s Save America political action committee. The impact of climate change and the risk of nuclear pollution were given short shrift and Trump even applauded Musk for firing workers who went on strike. It was a conversation without contrast or nuance, despite warnings issued to Musk not to lend his digital forum to the lies that the former president has repeated on more than occasion.
With the tone of someone complaining about the domestic service in a country club, both reviewed one of their great obsessions: illegal immigration. Trump claimed that several foreign countries are sending people from prisons, mental institutions, and their unemployment registers to the United States. “They’re coming not just from South America. They’re coming from Africa. They’re coming from all over the world. They’re coming from Asia. They’re coming from the Middle East [...] As an example, Venezuela, their crime is down 72%. They’re emptying out their prisons [...] But these are rough people. These are criminals that make our criminals look like nice people,” said the former president, repeating a claim that has been consistently debunked. A little further on, he described some of the immigrants who enter the U.S. irregularly as “nonproductive.”
Without objection to a single point, Musk limited himself to agreeing with the picture painted by Trump despite recent official figures showing that illegal crossings are at similar levels as under Trump’s administration. Musk said he had been to the Texas border at Eagle Pass, where he witnessed what he described as people “streaming” across like a “zombie apocalypse.” “I think this is a fundamental existential issue for the United States,” he added. “And if we have another four more years of open borders, and it’s gonna be even worse. I’m not sure we’ve got a country.”
The tech entrepreneur warned at the outset that this would not be an interview, but a conversation aimed at “open-minded, independent voters who are just trying to make up their mind.” Musk and his team have pledged to convince 800,000 voters in swing states to back Trump’s campaign. It is hard to imagine that an undecided voter would have been convinced by the talk, which regularly turned into a monologue. On several occasions one of the world’s richest men merely said “yes,” “uh-huh,” or “that’s a great argument.”
Musk’s first comment set the tone: at no point was there any attempt to contradict his interlocutor or seek clarification on any issues. They began by recalling the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania last month, after which he raised his fist in the air as supporters chanted “U-S-A!” “I have to say that your actions after that assassination attempt were inspiring [...] That is America, that is strength under fire,” said the Tesla and SpaceX owner.
“I didn’t know I had that much blood. The doctors later told me that the ear is a place that is a very bloody place if you’re gonna get hit,” Trump responded. “I knew immediately that it was a bullet.” The Republican candidate, who is seeking to reinvigorate his campaign against the rising momentum of Kamala Harris, has announced that he will return to Butler, the site of the attack, in October. “And I think I’ll probably start by saying, ‘as I was saying, prior to being so horribly interrupted...’” Trump joked.
The Republican candidate, as he usually claims in public statements, said that with him in the White House Russian President Vladimir Putin would have dared to invade Ukraine and Hamas would not have attacked Israel. “I said to Vladimir Putin: don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir. You do it, It’s gonna be a bad day. And he said, ‘no way.’ And I said, way. And it’s the last time we ever had the conversation,” the real estate magnate explained at one point, with the tone of someone describing a schoolyard fight.
Attacks on Harris
Musk and Trump joined forces to attack Harris, whom Trump called a “third-rate phony candidate " and “incompetent and as bad as” Joe Biden. The Republican standard-bearer asserted that the president’s withdrawal from the race was a “coup.”
Musk, who has moved his businesses out of California in disapproval of some left-wing initiatives, asserted that the Harris campaign is “rewriting history and making Kamala sound like a moderate.” “Worse than Bernie Sanders. She is considered more liberal by far than Bernie Sanders. She’s a radical left lunatic,” Trump shot back. “I think we’re at a fork in the road of destiny of civilization. And I think we need to take the right path. And I think you’re the right path,” Musk said to close the talk.
The Harris campaign quickly responded to the encounter. “Trump’s entire campaign is in service of people like Elon Musk and himself — self-obsessed rich guys who will sell out the middle class and who cannot run a livestream in the year 2024,″ noted a statement on the same social network that hosted the speech.
With the talk, Trump has broken his silence on X. The former president’s account was suspended in January 2021 for inciting violence hours after his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. His account was reactivated by Musk when he took over the company, then still Twitter, in November 2022. But Trump had remained silent and opted to use his own platform, Truth Social. On Monday night, Trump thanked Musk for readmitting him to X and lifting the punishment on voices that say “constructive” things. “It’s an honor,” the Republican candidate said.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition