Elon Musk to Conduct Interview with Former US President Donald Trump as He Returns to X | US News

Elon Musk is gearing up to have a conversation with Donald Trump on the social media platform X.

Mr Musk hinted at the upcoming “live conversation” with Mr Trump, promising it to be “unscripted” and therefore “highly entertaining”.

The former US president – whose account on X (formerly known as Twitter) was suspended in 2021 following a riot at the US Capitol by his supporters – made a return to the platform in anticipation of the event, posting several updates.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect from their conversation – and the history of their relationship.

Tensions between Trump and Musk

A significant portion of their initial disagreements centered around Mr Musk’s electric car company Tesla, as Mr Trump had been a vocal critic of electric vehicles.

The tension first arose in June 2017, five months into Mr Trump’s presidency, when Mr Musk resigned from White House advisory panels due to the administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a crucial treaty aimed at addressing global climate issues.

“Climate change is real,” Mr Musk stated at the time. “Withdrawing from Paris is not beneficial for America or the world.”

Musk’s Change in Stance on Biden

Following Mr Trump’s defeat in the 2020 re-election, Mr Musk expressed enthusiasm for US President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda and remained optimistic about “the future of sustainable energy.”

The billionaire, originally from South Africa, had previously hinted at predominantly supporting the Democrats after becoming a US citizen in 2002.

However, it was apparent that Mr Musk’s dissatisfaction with Mr Trump’s successor played a role in his political shift.

In 2021, Mr Musk began distancing himself from Mr Biden after Tesla was excluded from a meeting of electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers at the White House, and in 2022, he claimed to have “reluctantly approved Biden over Trump” in the 2020 election.

Musk Reverses Trump Ban – But Disputes Persist

In May 2022, before acquiring X, Mr Musk announced his intention to overturn Mr Trump’s permanent ban on the platform.

He kept his promise once his $44 billion X acquisition was finalized.

However, this move did not resolve the ongoing tensions between the two, as Mr Trump criticized Mr Musk during a rally in July 2022.

He alleged that the Tesla CEO had privately disclosed voting for him over Mr Biden in the 2020 election.

“Another dishonest person,” Mr Trump commented on Mr Musk, who refuted voting for him and tweeted: “I don’t dislike the man, but it’s time for Trump to retire and sail away into the sunset.”

In 2023, Mr Musk was asked about his vote in a potential 2024 election rematch between Mr Trump and Mr Biden.

“I don’t think I would support Biden,” he mentioned, stopping short of endorsing Mr Trump and simply stating: “This is definitely a challenging decision here.”

Musk Heightens Rhetoric

At one point, Mr Musk announced his support for Republican governor Ron DeSantis if he ran in the 2024 presidential race. However, Mr DeSantis, who was competing with Mr Trump for the Republican presidential nominee position, suspended his campaign in January 2024 after the previous president achieved a record-breaking victory in the Republican Party’s Iowa caucuses.

Over time, Mr Musk increased his engagement on social issues, expressing opinions and sharing content on topics such as immigration and transgender rights, indicating a tendency towards right-wing ideologies.

He also became more critical of the Biden administration.

Read more:
Biden reveals reason why he withdrew from presidential race
Musk v Starmer: Mutual accusations in the UK riots row

In March of this year, Mr Trump met with Mr Musk and other affluent donors.

In response to the reports, Mr Musk took to X to state: “Just to be clear, I am not financially supporting any US presidential candidate.”

In May, Mr Musk refuted media claims of discussions about a potential advisory role in a Trump presidency.

Musk Supports Trump

Shortly after the attempted assassination of the Republican presidential candidate at a campaign rally last month, Mr Musk publicly endorsed Mr Trump.

Subsequently, reports emerged that Mr Musk planned to donate approximately $45 million monthly to America PAC, a political group dedicated to electing Mr Trump.

Mr Trump, in response to Mr Musk’s endorsement, adjusted his stance, stating at a rally earlier this month: “I support electric cars. I must, because Elon endorsed me strongly. So I have no other choice.”

When and How to Watch the Interview?

The interview is scheduled for 1am UK time and will be hosted on Mr Trump’s X page, @realDonaldTrump.

The platform has previously faced difficulties with Spaces, a feature allowing X users to engage in live audio conversations, experiencing technical issues during significant events, including Mr DeSantis’ use of it to announce his presidential bid officially in May.

Spaces struggled to handle the overwhelming demand from over 400,000 users who attempted to participate.

Mr Musk, however, reassured X users through multiple posts that he had been conducting “system scaling tests” to handle the expected surge in participants.

The X owner guaranteed that the interview would be “entertaining” and highlighted that it would be “unscripted with no limits on subject matter”.

He also encouraged X users to share their questions and comments during the interaction, which will take place in the site’s audio-only Spaces format.

Mr Trump reactivated his X profile in preparation for the interview. In addition to promoting the event, he wrote: “Are you in a better position now compared to when I was president? Our economy is decimated. Our border has vanished. We are a declining nation.

“Restore the American Dream’s AFFORDABILITY. Make America SAFE again. Make America GREAT Again!”

The last time Mr Trump had posted on X was in August last year, when he posted a picture of his mugshot after being booked on 13 election fraud charges in Georgia.