Donald Trump is set to make his return to X, the platform from which he was banned following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He will be participating in a live interview with Elon Musk, X’s owner, on Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The conversation is expected to be unscripted with no limits on the subject matter. This event not only allows Trump to reach millions of potential voters directly but also provides an opportunity for X to redeem itself after facing some struggles. X has been the scene of memorable moments in the 2024 political cycle, including Trump’s counterprogramming during the GOP presidential debate in August.
In an effort to handle the anticipated high volume of participants for the live conversation, Musk mentioned on the platform that X was conducting system scaling tests. Musk, who previously identified as a Democrat, endorsed Trump’s candidacy just two days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at a rally last month. Over time, Musk has leaned further to the right in his posts and actions on the platform, attempting to influence political discourse globally. He has been involved in disputes, such as with a Brazilian judge over censorship, and has expressed his views on the “woke mind virus” and allegations of voter fraud.
Musk has reinstated previously banned accounts on X, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Trump. Trump’s account was banned from the platform, then known as Twitter, after the events of January 6, 2021. Musk acquired the company in November 2022, leading to the reinstatement of Trump’s account. Prior to his interview with Musk, Trump posted a video to his X account featuring footage from his time in office. Although Trump has a larger following on his own platform, Truth Social, with 7.5 million followers, his X account has 88 million followers, highlighting the potential reach of the platform.
As the conversation date approached, it was unclear if Trump would cross-post his interview with Musk on his other accounts, including X. Trump’s most recent post on X featured a photo of his mug shot following his surrender at an Atlanta jail a year ago on charges related to overturning his election loss in the state. The upcoming interview with Musk on X presents an opportunity for Trump to engage with a wider audience and potentially influence public opinion as the 2024 election cycle unfolds. With millions of followers on X, the live conversation is expected to draw significant attention and generate discussions around various political issues and perspectives.
