Trump Recounts Assassination Attempt in Vivid Detail During Chat with Musk on X

During a conversation with Elon Musk on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Donald Trump vividly recounted an assassination attempt he survived, attributing the incident to “a lack of coordination.” Trump stated, "If I had not turned my head, I would not be talking to you right now—as much as I like you." He emphasized that the building where the event occurred should have been properly secured.

The discussion was intended as a means for Trump to directly reach millions of voters and for X to reestablish itself as a significant platform in political discourse. However, the session was marred by technical issues. Over 878,000 users were connected more than 40 minutes after the scheduled start, but the interview had yet to commence, with many users receiving an error message stating, "Details not available."

Trump’s team attributed the delay to an overwhelming number of listeners attempting to join. When the conversation finally started, Musk apologized for the technical problems, blaming them on a “massive attack” that overloaded the platform’s systems.

Despite the rocky start, the exchange highlighted the dramatic shifts in the U.S. political landscape, especially considering Trump was permanently banned from the platform by its previous leadership for spreading disinformation that fueled the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Under Musk’s ownership, such disinformation has continued to thrive on X.

The event also underscored the evolving relationship between Trump and Musk, who have gone from rivals to allies in the span of one election season. Musk, who previously supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary, hosted the governor’s official presidential bid announcement on X in May 2023—a rollout that was similarly plagued by technical difficulties.

Trump’s Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, pointed out that Trump had mocked DeSantis’s campaign launch at the time, calling it a “disaster.”

The conversation on X drew widespread attention, with conservative commentators like Glenn Beck expressing frustration over the technical difficulties. Meanwhile, Musk had posted on the platform that X was conducting “system scaling tests” in anticipation of a large audience. The chat even prompted cautionary messages from Europe, underscoring the global interest in the event.