Billionaire Elon Musk’s interview of former President Donald Trump on X’s radio-esque “Spaces” feature blew up the internet Monday.
According to the X owner, combined views of his discussion with Trump added up to roughly 1 billion.
The two businessmen covered a wide range of topics during the over two-hour-long conversation, including economics, inflation, the Trump assassination attempt and the upcoming 2024 election.
For those who may have missed out, here are some of the highlights.
1. The DDOS Attack on X
Trump on the DDOS attack on X:
“You do want silencing of certain voices. Usually those are voices that have something to say, that are constructive, oftentimes constructive.” pic.twitter.com/MbBSlgo7Kd
— Michael Austin (@mikeswriting) August 14, 2024
Musk opened up the conversation by updating listeners on the “massive DDOS attack on X,” which may have been coordinated to shut the conversation down.
Accoridng to Microsoft, a distributed denial-of-service attack “targets websites and servers by disrupting network services in an attempt to exhaust an application’s resources.” Typically, such attacks cause websites to stop working properly and often shut them down entirely.
Should Trump have Musk join his administration?
“As this massive attack illustrates, there’s a lot of opposition to people just hearing what President Trump has to say,” Musk said.
Musk then reiterated that the whole point of the X “Space” was to get Trump talking in a non-adversarial interview where voters have a chance to get a real look at who he is.
Trump later added his own thoughts on the DDoS attack.
“You do want silencing of certain voices. Usually, those are voices that have something to say, that are constructive, oftentimes constructive, so we have to consider it an honor,” Trump said.
2. The Assassination Attempt
Trump to Musk on assassination attempt: “For those people that don’t believe in God, I think we’ve all got to start thinking about that … I’m a believer, now I’m more of a believer I think.” pic.twitter.com/KDvlufDQPG
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 13, 2024
After the introduction was concluded, Musk moved on to the topic of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump.
Musk praised Trump for his bravery in the seconds following the incident and for how he raised his fist in the air before yelling “fight, fight, fight.”
“The president of the United States represents America, and I think that is America. That is strength under fire,” Musk said.
Musk then asked Trump, “What was it like for you?”
Trump’s two-word answer made the X-owner burst out laughing — “Not pleasant.”
Trump went on to say that he’s become “more of a believer” in God since the incident.
“For those people that don’t believe in God, I think we’ve got to all start thinking about that. … I’m a believer, now I’m more of a believer, I think,” Trump said.
3. Shutting Down the Department of Education
BREAKING: Trump tells Elon Musk that he’ll ABOLISH the Federal Department of Education and return education back to the states pic.twitter.com/FRYcIHDJgD
— George (@BehizyTweets) August 13, 2024
Later in the conversation, Trump went on to talk about education reforms that he’d pursue in a second term.
The former president doubled down on a campaign promise that has angered many Democrats and teachers unions alike — shutting down the Department of Education.
“I want to close up the Department of Education [and] move education back to the states,” Trump said.
Trump argued that doing so would benefit states like Iowa and Idaho, which already excel at education.
Other states without good education records, like California, already aren’t doing well anyway, Trump said.
“If you move education back to the 50, you’ll have some that won’t do well, but they’ll actually be forced to do better,” Trump said. “And you know what it’ll cost? Less than half what it is in Washington.”
4. The Musk-Trump Plan to Combat Inflation
NEW: Elon Musk proposes plan to CUT government spending.
“Inflation comes from government overspending because the checks never bounce when it’s written by the government.”
Fact Check: True ✅
He tells Trump we need a… pic.twitter.com/NeF4uzyE0z
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) August 13, 2024
After discussing the Biden administration’s terrible mishandling of the economy and rampant inflation-causing spending, Musk shared some common sense economics.
“A lot of people just don’t understand where inflation comes from. Inflation comes from government overspending because the checks never bounce when it’s written by the government,” Musk said.
“If the government spends far more than it brings in, that increases the money supply, and if the money supply increases faster than the rate of goods and services, that’s inflation.”
Musk argued the solution would be to reduce government spending and start a government efficiency commission to reign in unnecessary spending.
Trump agreed with both solutions.
Trump Discusses Regulations With Elon Musk In New Interview pic.twitter.com/RfdolGkEv6
— Slingshot News (@NewsSlingshot) August 13, 2024
The two men also talked about how rampant government regulations have slowed down the development of new technologies.
Trump promised to cut down on many such regulations to help power the economy.
5. Musk May Join the Trump Administration
Elon Musk tells Trump that he would like to work on a Government Efficiency Commission to cut out wasteful government spending that is driving inflation.
Trump responds by saying, “I’d love it” and calls Musk “the greatest cutter” of inefficiencies inside organizations. pic.twitter.com/wiGMy4PfFM
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 13, 2024
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of Monday’s conversation was the revelation that Musk may join the Trump administration.
Musk told the former president he’d love to join the efficiency commission he suggested be put in place.
“I think it’d be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things and ensures that the taxpayer money … is spent in a good way,” Musk said. “I’d be happy to help out on such a commission.”
Trump instantly loved the idea.
“I’d love it,” Trump said. “You’re the greatest cutter.”
