Elon Musk’s highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump on the social media platform X hit a roadblock as technical glitches plagued the start of the event. Users trying to join the livestream reported issues accessing the platform, causing a delay in the scheduled 8 p.m. ET start time. Musk himself attributed the freezing screens to a cyberattack, although CNBC was unable to verify this claim independently. Despite the technical hiccups, other parts of X continued to function smoothly, suggesting that the issue may have been isolated to the livestream feature.
Prior to the interview, Musk claimed that the system had been tested with 8 million concurrent listeners to prevent any technical errors and ensure that X’s livestream capabilities were up to par. However, as the evening unfolded and the platform struggled to resolve the technical problems, Musk announced that the interview would proceed at 8:30 p.m. ET with those users who were able to successfully join the stream. He also promised to post the “unedited audio” immediately after the event. After almost an hour of troubleshooting, the conversation finally got underway around 8:45 p.m. ET, with an estimated one million viewers tuning in, according to X Spaces.
Response and Congratulations
In response to inquiries about the technical delay, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung referred back to Musk’s statement on X. Once the conversation began, Cheung appeared to applaud Musk and Trump for drawing such a large audience to the platform, despite the initial glitch. The incident echoed a similar technical mishap on X in 2023 during Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign launch announcement. The interview, intended to generate buzz and rally support for the Trump campaign, came on the heels of a tumultuous period following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
During the interview, Trump recounted his experience surviving an attempted assassination in July in Butler, Pa., which resulted in the death of an audience member at a rally. He then delved into familiar narratives around world leaders like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as well as his views on organizations like NATO. Trump also reiterated various claims about immigration and crime that he typically highlights on the campaign trail. Musk framed the interview as a casual conversation aimed at revealing Trump’s persona outside of formal settings.
Despite the technical challenges at the outset, the interview between Elon Musk and Donald Trump eventually unfolded, drawing a significant audience and generating headlines. The incident underscored the potential vulnerabilities of livestream platforms and the unpredictable nature of high-profile events. As the conversation continued to unfold, it became clear that the allure of two influential figures coming together could captivate audiences and attract attention, regardless of initial setbacks.
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