Trump returns to X with live Musk interview

Donald Trump is set to make a return appearance, albeit briefly, on X, a platform from which he was banned for almost two years after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The live interview with Elon Musk, the platform’s owner, is scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Described by Musk as an “unscripted conversation with no limits on subject matter,” the event promises to be engaging. Musk is also inviting X users to submit their questions.

This interview provides Trump with a direct channel to potentially millions of voters. It’s also a chance for X to regain some credibility after recent challenges. The platform has already been a hotspot for significant moments in the 2024 election cycle. Trump skipped the first GOP presidential debate in August, opting instead for a taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which aired on X. Last month, President Joe Biden announced his campaign departure via a letter on the same platform.

In May 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis chose X to announce his presidential bid. However, this rollout was plagued by technical issues, overwhelmed by over 400,000 users attempting to join. Ahead of the Trump interview, Musk mentioned on X that the platform was conducting system scaling tests to manage the anticipated high traffic.

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ENJOY! pic.twitter.com/un0WwfJlpw

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2024

The planned conversation has also drawn attention from Europe. Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, warned Musk about the potential spread of harmful content during the interview. In a letter posted on X, Breton urged Musk to ensure compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act, which addresses issues like disinformation. Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, dismissed the EU’s concerns, accusing them of meddling in the U.S. Presidential election and being enemies of free speech.

Musk, who identified as a Democrat until a few years ago, endorsed Trump’s candidacy two days after an assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally last month. Over time, Musk has shifted towards more right-leaning views, using X to influence political discourse globally. He has clashed with a Brazilian judge over censorship, criticised what he calls the “woke mind virus,” and amplified false claims about Democrats flying in migrants to vote in U.S. elections.

After acquiring X, formerly known as Twitter, in November 2022, Musk reinstated Trump’s account, which had been banned following the Capitol riot for allegedly inciting further violence. Although reinstated, Trump preferred to use his own platform, Truth Social, launched during his ban from X.

On Monday, hours before his interview with Musk, Trump posted a two-and-a-half-minute video on his X account. The video included footage from his presidency and audio of him stating a campaign line about the legal cases against him, asserting, “They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you, and I just happen to be standing in their way, and I will never be moving.”

Trump’s audience on X far surpasses his following on Truth Social, where he has 7.5 million followers compared to 88 million on X. Musk’s account, which will host the interview, boasts over 193 million followers. It remains unclear if Trump plans to share the interview across his various accounts, including on X.

To date, Trump’s activity on X has been minimal, with his most recent post being a photo of his mug shot after surrendering at an Atlanta jail a year ago on charges of conspiring to overturn his election loss in Georgia.