Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made a comeback to X for a live interview with platform owner Elon Musk on Monday, in one of his most notable appearances on the site since his ban in 2021.
Approximately 40 minutes after the scheduled start time, Musk finally connected and disclosed that X had been targeted by a denial-of-service attack, causing a delay in the call. Trump’s campaign mentioned that the call was experiencing a high demand from listeners.
Over a million people tuned in to listen to the conversation on Monday night, which covered various topics such as the attempt on Trump’s life, immigration, foreign relations, and energy prices. However, Trump refrained from delving into specific policy details.
Musk reinstated Trump’s account on X in 2022, nearly two years after the ban following the Jan. 6 insurrection. During this hiatus, Trump rarely visited the site, only posting his mugshot image and a fundraising link after being indicted for election result manipulation in Georgia.
On Monday, Trump also shared a campaign video on his account.
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Trump’s interview with Musk paralleled another popular event on the platform when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his presidential bid in a voice channel fraught with technical glitches due to high listener demand.
Musk confirmed that X had conducted infrastructure testing ahead of Monday’s interview.
Musk publicly endorsed Trump shortly after the assassination attempt on his life at a campaign rally. The Wall Street Journal claimed Musk planned to donate $45 million monthly to a pro-Trump super PAC, but Musk denied the report and clarified he is contributing at a lower level to a super PAC supporting “meritocracy & individual freedom.”
