Donald Trump & Elon Musk X Interview: Key Takeaways

Elon Musk‘s X interview with Republican candidate Donald Trump began after a 42-minute delay, which the billionaire blamed on a “massive” cyber attack. During their Monday, August 12, conversation, Trump highlighted his goals and policies amid his 2024 presidential campaign against the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Musk began the interview by pointing out that it was an “honor” to speak with the former host of The Apprentice and claimed the alleged “DDOS attack” exemplified that many people didn’t want to hear from Trump.

Trump Calls Harris ‘Beautiful’

While commenting on Harris’ latest TIME magazine cover portrait, Trump called the vice president “beautiful” and compared her to his wife, Melania Trump.

The reintroduction of Kamala Harris https://t.co/noW5TOgawP pic.twitter.com/iLmQIhxOeF

— TIME (@TIME) August 12, 2024

“She looks like the most beautiful actress ever to live,” Trump said, according to The Guardian. “It was a drawing, and actually, she looked very much like our great first lady, Melania.”

Trump Blames Harris for the Border

As Musk and Trump shifted gears to focus on border policy, Trump blamed Harris for the “rough people” trying to enter the country over the Mexico-U.S. border. According to The Guardian, the Republican candidate called Harris a “radical” Democrat and claimed she had “destroyed” California when she served as the attorney general and its senator.

pic.twitter.com/cPUMFx9Qu5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024

Trump’s Reaction to War in Ukraine

On the topic of the war in Ukraine, Trump seemingly claimed he “could have stopped” the conflict with Russia.

“Russia defeated Germany with us, and they defeated Napoleon,” he said, per The Guardian. “You know, they’ve been around a long time. They’re a big fighting force, and it’s very unfair. … We’re in a very bad position. And I’m not going to blame, exclusively, but I can tell you, I could have stopped that.”

Trump Claims Global Warming Is Not the ‘Biggest Threat’

When it came to the topic of climate change, Trump claimed, “The biggest threat is not global warming, where the ocean is going to rise one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years. The biggest threat is nuclear warming,” according to The Guardian.

Musk Wants to Work for Trump

Elsewhere during their conversation, Musk revealed he’d be open to serving Trump in his potential future administration.

“I’d love it for you,” Trump said, per The Guardian. “You’re the greatest cutter,” he added, seemingly referring to the mass layoffs that Musk conducted at Twitter.