Trump's interview on X: According to Elon Musk, the social network will be the target of a “massive” cyberattack

Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump on social network X started more than 40 minutes late on Monday due to a “massive” cyberattack, according to the platform's owner.

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Couldn't attend the interview for a long time initially due to technical issues. Mr Musk blamed what he called a “massive DDOS attack”, a denial of service, which was intended to disrupt the company's servers.

“This massive attack illustrates the reluctance of many people to listen to what President Trump has to say,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss said when the interview was finally able to begin.

Elon Musk promises a “very entertaining” time with the man he's now openly supporting in the race for the White House.

The conversation between the two billionaires was broadcast on Donald Trump's account, which was suspended after an attack on the Capitol by his supporters, but revived in 2022 after Elon Musk took over the social network.

However, the former president has so far not controlled his preferred communication channel, continuing to prioritize his own platform, Truth Social, for his daily publications.

But amid the promotional videos and interview promotion, Monday's messages signaled a return.

The interview should be “without a predetermined script, without restrictions on the topics covered and very entertaining!” Elon Musk promises.

But the exercise could also be dangerous between two men accustomed to extreme and controversial statements, accused of becoming a mouthpiece for the radical right on the social network and lax in the face of disinformation.

Hours before the interview, European Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton warned Elon Musk, sending him a letter to remind him of his regulatory responsibilities.

In the provocative post, Elon Musk responded with an insulting meme, while joking that he would never dare post something “so cruel and irresponsible.”

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Donald Trump, said the European Union should “mind its business and not try to interfere in the American presidential election”.

Fiasco

The interview recalls the debacle X had already faced when former Republican candidate Ron DeSantis entered the campaign, airing on the platform and being weighed down by technical issues.

Elon Musk regularly attacks Democrats on the platform (formerly Twitter), where he has 193 million subscribers.

Last month, he officially endorsed the Republican candidate shortly after the assassination attempt on the Republican candidate.

The South African native has never been an ardent defender of Donald Trump, with whom he has even clashed publicly. But the two men have been close in recent months.

They reportedly met in March and have been talking on the phone frequently since then Wall Street Journal. An advisory role for the tech mogul is also under discussion if the former president regains the keys to the White House.

The 53-year-old billionaire wants to donate tens of millions of dollars a month to the former president's campaign, as recently reported in the press. He spoke of “very low” levels.

“I respect Elon Musk a lot and he respects me,” Donald Trump said at a press conference last week. “Like me, he thinks this country has big problems and is at big risk.”

Different audiences

Last week, Donald Trump tried to reach a different audience by granting an interview to Adin Ross, an already controversial influencer who, like Elon Musk, is also committed to his cause and popular with young people.

The former president will speak about the economy in North Carolina on Wednesday, then be in Pennsylvania for a rally on Saturday. But Joe Biden's campaign has struggled since Schock withdrew his candidacy.

Although the 78-year-old Republican appears to be in good shape against the 81-year-old president, Kamala Harris' candidacy has sparked excitement, which is reflected in the polls.

After touring key states last week, the vice president will join Joe Biden on a cost-of-living tour on Thursday.

Next big convention: Next week, the Democratic Party convention in Chicago has gathered around a “ticket” formed by the 59-year-old candidate and her new challenger, Tim Walz.