Delayed by an hour due to technical issues, billionaire Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump chatted for nearly two hours about a variety of issues. August 13, 2024.
© Joshua L. Jones / © Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Austin, TX) – On Monday night the world’s richest man and the Republican’s candidate for president chatted for two hours. The live discussion was hosted on X, formerly Twitter, and saw billionaire Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump cover a wide variety of issues.
The entire thing was hosted on Spaces, X’s streaming audio platform that allows people to participate and listen. It was delayed upward of an hour due to technical issues. Musk later said it was a cyber attack that targeted X’s data lines, and he argued it shows many people “don’t want” Trump’s message being heard.
Once the event got underway, Musk and Trump delved into things like immigration, economics, censorship, and government efficiency. Both men agreed that if “open borders” persist for another four years under Vice President Kamala Harris, the country as we know it could cease to exist. Trump has consistently railed against the Biden administration’s border policies, and has noted that Harris previously served the “border czar” role for President Biden.
At one point Musk suggested Trump establish a government efficiency commission, adding he’d be happy to participate. Musk went on to say that government overspending is the primary driver of inflation. Trump said Musk would be great in that sort of role and noted the progress Argentina has made under President Javier Milei, cutting government largess and reducing inflation in the process.
Foreign policy was also included in the Musk-Trump discussion. Trump reiterated his feeling that the Russia-Ukraine war never would have happened under his leadership. At one point, upward of 1.3 million people tuned into the discussion live.
