Donald Trump and his super-rich backer Elon Musk exchanged a slew of radical theories on Monday, comparing illegal immigrants to “zombies” and talking about a “coup” against US President Joe Biden, during a conversation on X, which was largely delayed by technical problems.
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The head of the social network, also at the helm of Tesla and Space X, had promised a “very entertaining” moment. Above all, it allowed Mr. Trump to recycle his campaign themes in the presence of a friendly interlocutor, determined not to contradict him.
The former Republican president has once again promised “the largest deportation in the history” of the United States, falsely claiming that the massive influx of migrants under the Biden administration has increased crime.
“We have people coming in like it’s a … zombie apocalypse,” agreed Mr. Musk, who has long had a complicated relationship with Mr. Trump but has publicly supported him since the assassination attempt on him last month.
The tech giant took the opportunity to label Kamala Harris, Mr Trump’s new rival in the race for the White House, as a “far-left” candidate.
Struggling to counter the enthusiasm generated by Ms Harris’ entry into the race, Mr Trump has questioned her legitimacy.
Joe Biden’s withdrawal, weighed down by doubts about his health, “was a coup d’état,” the 78-year-old tribune fumed.
40 minutes late
The discussion was watched live by more than a million users, on a platform from which Mr Trump had been banned after the invasion of the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021.
It started more than 40 minutes late, due to technical problems that Mr. Musk described as a cyberattack. The billionaire spoke of “a massive DDOS attack,” a so-called denial of service attack, intended to bottleneck the company’s servers and cause an outage.
“This massive attack illustrates the opposition of many people to even hearing what President Trump has to say,” he said when the exchange finally got underway.
Embarrassingly, the episode recalled the fiasco already suffered by X during the campaign entry of former Republican candidate Ron DeSantis, broadcast on the platform and weighed down by technical problems.
Since Mr. Musk bought Twitter — which he renamed X and allowed Mr. Trump to reactivate — the platform has been criticized for its lax response to misinformation. Its critics also accuse it of becoming a mouthpiece for the radical right.
A few hours before the exchange, European Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton warned Elon Musk, sending him a letter to remind him of his moderation obligations.
Comrades
For two hours, the two billionaires appeared like two friends chatting in a bistro, without ever opposing each other.
Mr. Trump, for example, joked about climate change, explaining that rising sea levels will mean “more beachfront properties.” That didn’t stop him from praising the Tesla electric cars his interlocutor produces, which he finds “incredible.”
“It’s not like the house is on fire immediately,” added Mr Musk, who praised the pundit for his “epic tweets”.
Mr. Trump took the opportunity to tout his relationships with authoritarian leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean President Kim Jong-un. If he returns to power, the United States will be safer on the world stage, he promised.
“I think people underestimate the risk of a third world war,” Musk added.
The boss even appeared to be a candidate for a position under a potential future Trump administration, explaining that he would like to participate in a commission that would “ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.”
An attractive prospect for the former president, who praised Mr. Musk for the waves of layoffs he imposed at X.
“You are the best cost reducer,” he complimented.
With less than three months to go until the presidential election, Mr. Musk concluded by dramatizing the stakes of the vote.
“I think we’re at a turning point in the destiny of civilization and I think we have to take the right path,” he told Mr. Trump. “And I think you’re the right path.”
