Musk holds friendly chat with Trump on X following tech delays

Elon Musk’s highly anticipated conversation with Donald Trump on the platform X was delayed by over 40 minutes due to technical issues, as many users had trouble accessing the stream. The discussion, which covered topics like immigration and inflation, was intended as an interview but featured unchallenged claims from Trump.

Musk reiterated his support for Trump, who is facing a challenge from Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. Musk attributed the technical glitches to a cyber-attack, though experts suggest this is unlikely. The event occurred as Trump seeks to revamp his re-election campaign amid a tightening race.

During the chat, Trump proposed ideas such as an “Iron Dome” missile defense system and potentially relocating the Department of Education’s responsibilities to the states. Despite past tensions, the exchange was marked by mutual praise. Trump complimented Tesla, owned by Musk, despite previously opposing electric vehicles.

The technical issues at the start mirrored a similar problem during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign launch on X in May 2023. The conversation marked a return for Trump to X, from which he was banned following the January 6 Capitol riot. Although Trump has been active on Truth Social, it remains uncertain how frequently he will use X moving forward.