Elon Musk’s highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump faced a significant delay due to technical issues on X’s Spaces platform. Scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EDT, the interview was delayed by 40 minutes. Musk took to X to announce that the platform was experiencing a “massive” denial-of-service attack (DDOS), a cybercrime involving the flooding of a site with excessive data to disrupt its operation.
Outage tracker Down detector noted a surge in reports of X being inaccessible around the time of the interview, though it was not immediately confirmed whether this outage was linked to a deliberate attack.
Despite the technical issues, the conversation between Musk and Trump managed to attract over a million listeners globally. The former President, commenting on the interview, congratulated Musk for breaking records and silencing voices, a nod to the significant interest and challenges surrounding the event.
Musk began the interview by asking Trump about the assassination attempt he survived at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. Trump described the incident with a mix of disbelief and gratitude, noting, “I didn’t know I had that much blood,” and reflecting on how the experience deepened his faith. He also suggested that the attack was related to his stance on immigration and confirmed plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where the attack occurred.
The technical difficulties faced during this interview were not an isolated incident. X, previously known as Twitter, has struggled with various controversies and technical issues, including a notable glitch during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential announcement in May 2023, which was marred by server overloads. The platform also featured other significant political events, such as President Joe Biden’s campaign announcement and Trump’s opt-out of the first GOP presidential debate.
In anticipation of the interview, Musk had announced “system scaling tests” to handle the expected high traffic. However, the event has drawn additional scrutiny from European regulators. Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market, voiced concerns about the potential for harmful content amplification during the interview. He urged Musk to ensure compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act, aimed at combating disinformation.
The Trump campaign dismissed Breton’s concerns, accusing the EU of interfering in U.S. elections and defending the right to free speech. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung labelled the EU as an “enemy of free speech” and criticized European officials for their involvement in American political discourse.
Musk, who shifted his political stance from Democrat to a more right-leaning position in recent years, has used X to significantly influence political conversations. His endorsement of Trump, just days after the assassination attempt, reflects his evolving political alignment. Musk’s controversial posts and actions, including clashes over censorship and unverified claims about election interference, have added layers of complexity to his role as a social media influencer.
As the interview concludes, all eyes are on how X and Musk manage the aftermath of this high-profile event and its implications for the upcoming presidential election. The technical and political controversies surrounding the interview highlight ongoing debates about the role of social media in modern political discourse and the challenges platforms face in balancing user engagement with regulatory compliance.