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11:27 14.08.2024 •
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Photo: AFP
Former President Trump spoke Monday with Tesla founder Elon Musk on X, which Musk owns, marking Trump’s most significant return to the social media platform since he was reinstated in 2023.
Trump and Musk spoke for roughly two hours after their conversation was delayed because of technical issues that prevented many from initially joining. The two covered a range of topics, including the recent assassination attempt on Trump, his views on immigration and the economy, and the future of energy production. Musk has endorsed Trump in the 2024 campaign, notes ‘The Hill’.
At its peak, Monday’s Spaces had more than 1 billion listeners.
The former president’s chat with Musk frequently resembled one of his rallies, as Trump rambled often, attacked Harris and Biden as “incompetent,” and repeated many of the same anecdotes he tells at campaign events.
But he also managed to focus on issues, inflation in particular, and avoided making the type of inflammatory, controversial comments that have plagued his recent public appearances.
“The election is coming up and people want to hear about the economy. Food prices are up… and this stupid administration allowed this to happen,” Trump said. “And it’s a shame. And that’s the thing people most care about in my opinion.”
The former president attacked Harris as a “San Francisco liberal” who had changed her tune on issues like fracking and defunding the police. He argued Harris would revert to more liberal stances if she is elected in November.
Trump also attacked Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), for signing legislation requiring schools to provide free menstrual products in all public school bathrooms.
Despite his focus on policy when going after Harris, Trump’s often rambling responses to Musk’s prompts still gave Democrats some soundbites they are likely to use against the former president.
Trump again claimed there are enemies “within” the country who are more dangerous than Russia or China.
He levied plenty of name-calling, deriding Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) as a “loser,” ripping Vice President Harris as “incompetent” and claiming President Biden is “close to vegetable stage.”
Here are top quotes from Donald Trump's interview with Elon Musk.
During the interview, Trump discussed a wide range of topics, including a recent incident at a Pennsylvania rally where an attempted assassination took place. "I knew immediately that it was a bullet. I knew immediately that it was at the ear... For those people that don't believe in God, I think we all have to start thinking about that," Trump said to Musk.
Addressing the issue of immigration, Trump criticised Vice President Kamala Harris's handling of the situation. "You have millions of people coming in a month, and she gets up and she pretends like she's gonna do something," he stated, accusing the Biden administration of failing to control the border. He further claimed there are 20 million illegal immigrants in the US.
Donald Trump criticized Kamala Harris for avoiding long-form interviews since securing the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Comparing her approach to his own, Trump said, “It's nice to have a forum like this.”
He also took a jab at President Biden, stating, "It's pretty sad when you think that somebody that does this for a living can't answer a question or is afraid to do an interview." Elon Musk chimed in, claiming that Harris wouldn’t agree to an interview with him.
“If I had not turned my head, I would not be talking to you right now — as much as I like you," Trump told X’s owner Elon Musk. “There was a lack of coordination. ...Everybody understands that building should have been covered.”
Trump expressed his concerns about artificial intelligence, specifically its considerable electricity consumption. He started by acknowledging that Elon Musk is a "big fan" of AI. He then shared his astonishment regarding the technology's energy needs.
"This is shocking to me, but AI requires twice the energy that the country already produces for everything," Trump said. "You’re gonna need a lot of electricity, you’re gonna need tremendous electricity, like almost double what we produced now for the whole country, if you can believe it," he added.
"I beat Biden so bad in the debate, he was forced out of the race – one of the greatest debate performances ever. Biden's exit, it was a coup." the 78-year-old said.
Trump suggested that these leaders have a low opinion of current U.S. leadership: "When they see a Kamala or sleepy Joe, they can't believe it," he remarked, notably mispronouncing the vice president's name.
Trump has emphasized his familiarity with leaders such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, stating, “They're smart and they're vicious.”
Recounting his interactions with Putin, Trump claimed he advised against the invasion of Ukraine. "I told him, 'Don't do it. You can't do it, Vladimir,'" Trump recounted. According to Trump, Putin initially dismissed the advice, prompting Trump to respond with, "'No way,' and I said, 'Way.'"
Trump also took a jab at Vice President Harris, claiming that “Everything I did, she says she is doing it." He labeled her as "fake" and reiterated that the number of illegal migrants crossing the border has increased under her watch.
Reflecting on the Pennsylvania rally, Trump called it “a miracle" that his supporters did not flee despite the gunshots. He praised his Secret Service sniper, saying, "I've to take my hat off to him," for his response during the incident where Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate him.
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