The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who is scheduled to interview Donald Trump live on his X network on Monday night, promised a “very entertaining” moment with the former president whom he openly supports.
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The interview is expected to seek to relaunch the Republican candidate in the race for the White House, whose campaign has been struggling since the entry into the race of Kamala Harris on the Democratic side.
But the exercise, between two men accustomed to outrageous and controversial statements, will also be risky, on a platform accused of having become a mouthpiece for the radical right and lax in the face of disinformation.
Previous similar interviews had also turned into fiascos, like the entry into the campaign of the former Republican candidate Ron DeSantis, announced in X and moderated by Elon Musk, but which had encountered technical problems.
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Monday’s interview with the former president will be conducted “with no predetermined script, no limits on the topics discussed, and should be very entertaining!” wrote Mr. Musk, who bought X in 2022.
The conversation between the two billionaires is set to air at 8 p.m. on Donald Trump’s account, which was suspended after his supporters attacked the Capitol but reinstated after Elon Musk bought it.
Since then, this account, once used daily by the former White House guest, had only posted one publication: his mugshot. But he published several messages there on Monday morning, as if to announce his return.
“He respects me”
Last month, the Tesla and SpaceX boss officially endorsed the Republican candidate, just after the assassination attempt on him. Mr. Musk regularly attacks Democrats on X, where he has 193 million subscribers, particularly on the subject of immigration.
The South African native has not always been a fervent defender of Donald Trump, with whom he has even publicly clashed. But the two men have continued to grow closer in recent months.
They met in March and have been speaking regularly on the phone ever since, according to the Wall Street Journal. An advisory role for the tech mogul is even under discussion if the former president regains the keys to the White House.
Elon Musk recently denied that he was planning to donate tens of millions of dollars a month to the former president’s campaign, as the press had reported. He spoke of levels that were “much lower.”
“I have great respect for Elon Musk, and he has great respect for me,” Trump said at a news conference last week. “Like me, he believes this country is in great trouble and in great danger.”
Different electorate
Last week, Donald Trump only attended one campaign rally, but he had already sought to reach a different electorate by granting an interview to a controversial influencer, Adin Ross, who is also a supporter of his cause.
The former president will be in North Carolina on Wednesday to discuss the economy, but his reduced schedule has recently raised questions about his campaign strategy, since the cards were reshuffled by Joe Biden’s withdrawal of his candidacy three weeks ago.
While the 78-year-old Republican appeared to be in a good position against the 81-year-old president, Kamala Harris’ candidacy has generated a wave of enthusiasm that is reflected in the polls.
The woman who wants to become the first female president of the United States toured key states last week. This week, the 59-year-old candidate is only due to make a trip on the subject of the cost of living with Joe Biden, on Thursday near Washington.
The duo she forms with her running mate Tim Walz, announced last week, will then be celebrated in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, from August 19 to 22.
