This composite photo shows former President Donald Trump (L) at a rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nevada, on October 8, 2022, and Elon Musk at a rally in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 12, 2021.
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Elon Musk is set to interview former President Donald Trump on X on Monday evening, the latest collaboration between the two men, and the unlikely alliance could be a major factor in shaping the final weeks of the presidential election.
“This is going to be a lot of fun because it’s an unscripted program with no restrictions on topics!” said billionaire Musk, CEO of both companies. Tesla And SpaceX wrote in a post on Sunday’s X: The event is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will be streamed on Musk’s X.
Hours before the interview, Trump posted a campaign ad on his personal X account. It was the first time Trump had posted anything on X since August 2023.
The former president generally limits his social media activity to Truth Social, a conservative-friendly platform owned by his eponymous media venture. Trump Media and Technology Group.
After being suspended from Twitter and Facebook following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Trump helped found Truth Social, which he later made his primary platform.
As part of his contract with the company, Trump agreed to stop posting content on Twitter (now X) that he had not already posted on Truth Social. But there’s a loophole in the deal: According to the company’s financial reports, Trump can always use his personal X and Facebook accounts for posts that are politically or campaign-related.
With Trump returning to X on Monday, there’s a renewed chance he’ll post more regularly on the platform that helped fuel his political rise — and now that it’s owned by a friendly Musk.
Trump Media’s stock fell about 4% on Monday ahead of the talks with Musk.
Musk planned to spend part of Monday evaluating the streaming capabilities of the X platform ahead of the event with Trump, doing “some scaling tests of the system” ahead of their conversation.
The test is intended to prevent a repeat of the disaster of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign live launch in May 2023, which took place on a social media platform. The highly anticipated event was derailed by a webcast error.
Musk Jumps into Politics
The Trump interview is the latest high-profile attempt by Musk to run for president in 2024.
Earlier this year, Musk founded America PAC, a pro-Trump political action committee, which Musk reportedly planned to give up to $45 million a month. Musk later denied that he ever intended to give that much money.
The PAC pledged to mobilize 800,000 voters for Trump in the key swing state. But after a rocky start and high turnover, CNBC reports the PAC is facing questions from state election officials about how it collects and uses voters’ personal information.
The PAC’s fate remains uncertain, but Monday night’s conversation could give Trump a welcome boost at a critical time for the Republican presidential nominee.
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6, 2024.
Andrew Harnick | Getty Images
Just three weeks after Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise entrance into the race, the Democratic nominee has erased Trump’s lead in the polls and turned the tide in a race that once looked set to be lost by Trump.
A high-profile event featuring Musk could help energize Trump’s base of voters.
Complicated Relationship
It could go the other way. Trump and Musk are both polarizing figures with complicated relationships with each other and with politics.
As of 2022, Musk and Trump remained public enemies, trading insults on social media and at political rallies.
“I don’t hate the guy, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat and sail off into the sunset,” Musk wrote on social media in July 2022.
The next day, Trump fired back at Musk on Truth Social.
“When Elon Musk came to the White House … you could have said, ‘Get on your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it,” Trump wrote.
Now, two years later, the two appear to have reconciled.
Musk endorsed Trump in July, hours after an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally left the former president with a minor gunshot wound to the ear and an audience member dead.
Trump appears to have changed his tune toward Musk, even toning down his criticism of electric cars.
“I love Elon. He’s great,” Trump said at a Bitcoin conference in Nashville last month. “He’s supported me, he’s been a great supporter and everything else. But not everyone should have an electric car.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
