Trump and Musk had a lively conversation on the social media platform X, which was delayed by glitches at the start of the much-anticipated exchange. The tech mogul said he would seek a role for himself if Trump wins a second White House term, but otherwise repeated phrases Trump often says at campaign rallies.

The conversation started with a delay of about 40 minutes, but continued for more than two hours after it started.

The glitch-induced false start is an embarrassing blow for Musk's social media site and the latest setback for Trump, whose campaign has been struggling to curb the momentum that Vice President Harris has gained since taking over for Biden.

Musk blamed the delay on a cyberattack, but he did not provide any evidence, and when the conversation began, Musk suggested that Trump's opponent was responsible. Trump tried to interpret the delay as a sign of interest in the event. According to X, as many as 1.3 million listeners tuned in to their conversation.

Musk called for the creation of a government commission to ensure taxpayers' money is spent effectively and proposed his own participation.

"I'd love to help out on a mission like this. I'd be happy if it worked," Musk said.

Trump praised the idea, calling Musk "the greatest cutter."

But in other ways, the event resembled in some ways an online Trump rally, with Musk, the world’s richest man, playing the role of host.

A few days ago, Trump held a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort for more than an hour. One of his campaign strategies is to try to stimulate Harris to appear in front of the media more often without preparation.

Musk endorsed Trump last month as part of a shift in which the Tesla Inc and SpaceX CEO publicly supports right-leaning causes and candidates to make his mark on the political stage. He also created a super PAC to support Trump's reelection efforts.

Musk, already a powerful presence in Washington with a company that has a large number of government contracts, would become an even bigger player if Trump returns to power. He has grown closer to the Republican presidential candidate, advising Trump on electric vehicles and cryptocurrency policy.

Underscoring Musk's growing influence over Trump, Trump, a longtime critic of electric vehicles, praised the electric car maker, calling Tesla's vehicles "incredible." He also praised Musk's intellect, saying "you do have a rich mind." "You and I could talk about rockets and tunnels and electric cars," he said, referring to the entrepreneur's many business ventures.

Trump's softer stance on electric vehicles could bring huge financial benefits to automakers and Musk's personal wealth, much of which is reflected in Tesla's stock. Trump has vowed to repeal some of the benefits designed to help the market grow if he returns to the White House. Those threats have heightened concerns about slowing growth in electric vehicle sales.

The conversation between Trump and Musk comes at a critical time in the 2024 race, with less than three months until Election Day. Harris's rise as the Democratic nominee has transformed the race, with polls showing she has erased the lead that Trump had held throughout much of the summer and taken the lead in fundraising.

The first 20 minutes of the conversation were spent by Trump recalling the assassination attempt on him last month at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he said he would return to the town in October to continue campaigning.

Border strike

Musk, like Trump, has criticized illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and promoted conspiracy theories that Democrats are encouraging immigration to bring in people to vote fraudulently in the 2024 election.

Musk suggested the Republican candidate "supports" legal immigration but said the U.S. needs to "shut down illegal immigration."

"I think most illegal immigrants are actually good people, but unless people crossing the border are thoroughly vetted, it's impossible to tell the difference," said Musk, who was born in South Africa and calls himself a "legal immigrant."

"They have to come in legally. They have to be inspected," Trump said.

Republicans have seized on the fact that Harris was given responsibilities that included addressing the root causes of migration early in the administration, even as other officials such as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have assumed more direct responsibility for the situation at the border.

Harris campaign spokesman Joseph Costello said in a statement after the conversation that Trump's entire campaign is in service of people like Musk and himself - self-obsessed wealthy people who will sell out the middle class.

Musk, who tops the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $227.3 billion, intends to use his vast wealth to sway Trump's campaign.

Musk served on the White House advisory council when Trump was president but left after the Republican Party decided to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate accord. Musk's tenure on the council was marred by controversy, with supporters urging him to resign.

Technical failure

Technical glitches on X delayed the start of the event, drawing comparisons to the slow start to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s failed presidential campaign last year, when servers struggled to cope with a surge in demand.

X has faced technical issues and scrutiny since Musk purchased the platform in 2022.

“This massive attack shows that there is a lot of resistance to hearing President Trump speak,” Musk said as the event finally got underway. “This is really targeting enlightened, independent voters who are struggling to make a decision.”

Trump was banned from posting on X (then known as Twitter) after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, but his account was restored after Musk acquired the company.

Trump returned to X in August 2023 to post photos of his arrest after being indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but prefers to use his own social media site, Truth Social. On Monday, Trump posted multiple posts on X, including a campaign video.

The interview is a coup for Musk, assuming it succeeds in attracting the attention of Trump fans and haters alike. But whether Musk has the ability to help Trump find a more stable path to the campaign is an open question.

The article is forwarded from: Jinshi Data