The conversation was another unusual episode in a presidential campaign that has defied logic in recent weeks with its stunning twists and turns, including an assassination attempt on Mr. Trump and the end of President Joe Biden’s campaign, according to the American news portal CNN.
The former president appeared to be struggling to deal with Harris’ sudden rise. At times during their detailed conversation, it seemed like Musk was using the power of his profile and platform to coach Trump on how to better run against the Democratic nominee.
“She believes in the radical left,” Trump said at one point of the Democratic challenger, who has erased a deficit in the polls just three weeks into the candidate’s election. The Republican argued that Mr. Biden was wrongfully ousted to make way for Mr. Harris.
“She hasn’t given a single interview since this whole affair started, and say what you will, it was a coup. It was a coup by the President of the United States,” D. Trump complained.
Musk echoed the Republican leader’s arguments about Harris and praised his guest, implying that he is strong while his Democratic opponents are weak.
The billionaire has already endorsed Trump and left no doubt on Monday night that he wants him to win a second term.
“You are the path to prosperity. And I think Kamala is the opposite,” he told D. Trump.
Favorable picture K. Harris
Musk gave the Republican candidate a massive audience of at least 1.3 million on Friday night. listeners at a time, while the billionaire himself expected that millions of users would listen to the conversation in the coming days. This conversation took place at a time when Trump’s campaign is going through its worst moment, according to CNN.
According to political scientist Linas Kojala, opinion polls continue to paint a favorable picture of K. Harris, and as an example he singled out a recent study on suitability to solve economic problems.
“The latest poll in Michigan shows that for the first time in a year, Harris is seen as better suited to deal with the economy than Trump. This is relevant because this has always been Mr. Trump’s strength, he beat Mr. Biden by 7% on this issue. points. In addition, inflation and the economic situation together are the most important issues for 35 percent. voters, – L. Kojala wrote on the social network Facebook
According to the political scientist, during the interview with E. Musk, D. Trump had three goals – to shift the general background of the campaign in a different direction, to attract attention and to send a message to a wide electorate. “D. Trump did not need to use such measures against Mr. Biden, now we need to look for new methods,” he explained. The political scientist added that the fight will continue to be persistent:
“Those who follow the campaign in detail react sensitively to every news, statement, few percent. change of points in polls. Therefore, the interpretation effect may be inflated. The majority of the electorate lives in a different rhythm, so assessing the possible outcome remains difficult.
It should be remembered that at this stage 8 and 4 years ago, H. Clinton and J. Biden, respectively, had a greater advantage in the polls than K. Harris currently has. Although the methodologies have probably been adjusted since then, there is not much reason to believe that the victory is in K. Harris’s pocket,” wrote L. Kojala.
Both had something to gain
Trump, who has often criticized President Joe Biden’s health, appeared lost or slurred during the broadcast. It wasn’t clear if audio issues were to blame. Asked for clarification, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the ex-president’s campaign, said: “It’s probably your hearing.”
The friendly conversation between the billionaire and the former president also showed what each of them could win.
E. Musk has tried to please the presidential candidate, known for his leadership of deals, with his views on immigration, the economy, limiting government regulation and tax cuts, according to CNN.
Changes in government policy could affect Musk’s companies, including SpaceX, a major player in the US space program, and Tesla, which makes electric vehicles.
The entire conversation was fraught with potential conflicts of interest. At one point, E. Musk even volunteered to take a position in the US government. He said that he could be a member of the efficiency commission aimed at reducing the administrative state.
Mr. Trump, who invested two hours of his time, also benefited greatly. Musk didn’t challenge any of his lies or misrepresentations — according to CNN, Trump made at least 20 false statements during the interview. One such lie was the claim that 60 million Americans would flood the country if a Republican lost the election. illegal migrants.
During the interview, Musk played down the threat of global warming while defending his pioneering electric car empire. Meanwhile, Trump has warned of the threat of “nuclear warming,” which he says poses a greater danger than “global warming.”
It was not clear if he was referring to nuclear power, which Musk said was “not as scary as people think.”
The victory was achieved with the help of Twitter
The meeting was a perfect example of how social media and the fragmentation of traditional journalism have changed the politics of a presidential candidate. Trump might not have become president without Twitter, as his rise as a political force in 2016 coincided with the site’s heyday, according to CNN.
Eight years after Trump’s victory, under Musk, who preaches unfettered free speech on his platform, X has removed many of the site’s safeguards against the spread of false facts and conspiracy theories.
As such, it’s the perfect place for the former president to escape the constraints of traditional media and weave his web of alternate reality, which is very popular among his millions of supporters.
Meanwhile, Republicans are complaining about what they say is laudatory media coverage of Harris’ candidacy
Despite Musk’s claims about free speech on the X platform, prior to his interview with Trump, European Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote to Musk warning that he must prevent “harmful content” from being accessed by users inside the bloc. for dissemination.
Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, responded that the EU should “mind its own business and not try to interfere in the US presidential election.”
He did not spare E. Musk praise
On Monday night, Trump unleashed a myriad of false claims and inferences, including about the number of migrants crossing the border, the extent of the now-cooling inflation crisis, his legal problems, the current administration’s energy policies and his well-known claim that foreign countries are dumping their prisoners.
Many Trump voters are sure to embrace the former president’s stance in the coming days, underscoring his political vitality even after Harris’ candidacy changed the race for the White House.
At some points, Trump has indeed made a more coherent and focused case for what he wants to change in his second term. In recent days, he has appeared confused by the turnaround in a race he thought he was poised to win against Mr. Biden.
The Republican candidate and Musk blamed the current president and vice president for starting a spending policy that fueled inflation that hurt millions of Americans.
But Trump’s constant promotion of conspiracy theories has also shown why he is despised by many voters and why his appeal to some constituencies is in doubt.
At first, it looked like the session would become a new metaphor for Trump’s failures, as it was delayed by technical problems. Mr. Musk said that an attack on social network X was to blame, although it was not immediately possible to confirm that a cyber attack was responsible.
“There’s a lot of resistance from people who just want to hear what President Trump has to say,” Musk said.
The Harris campaign responded quickly, releasing a post from last year’s Trump Truth Social in which Trump berated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his failed primary campaign launch at a clunky Twitter Spaces event with Musk.
The event marked Trump’s return to X, formerly known as Twitter. The previous owners of the site had blocked his account after 2021. January 6 of the attack on the US Capitol. His account was restored by E. Musk.
Listeners who listened to the entire two-hour conversation learned more about Musk’s changing political views and his growing willingness to use his power and wealth to express them. Meanwhile, new information about D. Trump was broadcast on the background, but the former president was extremely grateful for a new friend during the political period.
“You’re an amazing guy, you’ve done an incredible job. You are a great inspiration to people,” Trump said before saying goodbye.
Prepared by CNN.
2024-08-15 17:32:53