Elon Musk’s highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump on the social media platform X hit a roadblock as technical glitches prevented users from accessing the livestream. The event was slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET, but many people reported being unable to join X’s platform to view the interview.
Shortly after the scheduled start time, around 8:20 p.m., Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, cited a cyberattack as the reason behind the freezing screens. While CNBC could not independently verify the attack, other parts of X seemed to be functioning properly despite the interruptions.
Musk revealed that the company had tested the system with 8 million concurrent viewers earlier in the day to prevent any technical mishaps and ensure that X’s livestream capabilities could support the event. As the technical issues persisted, Musk announced that the interview would commence at 8:30 p.m. ET with those who managed to join the stream successfully. He also promised to release the “unedited audio” immediately after the conversation.
After nearly an hour of troubleshooting, the interview finally began around 8:45 p.m. ET, attracting an audience of at least one million viewers, according to X Spaces tally. Musk acknowledged the challenges faced, stating, “This massive attack illustrates there’s a lot of opposition to people just hearing what President Trump has to say, but I’m honored to have this conversation.”
In response to inquiries about the technical delay, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung referenced Musk’s X post. However, following the commencement of the interview, Cheung appeared to commend Musk and Trump for the overwhelming response that caused the platform crash, indicating their ability to “BREAK THE INTERNET!”
The interview, billed as a significant event to rally Trump’s supporters after a challenging period since President Joe Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, aimed to provide insight into Trump’s thoughts and experiences. Trump discussed a recent assassination attempt he survived in Pennsylvania, as well as his views on world leaders like Putin and Kim Jong Un. However, he also repeated several unverified claims about immigration and crime that are typical of his campaign rhetoric.
This incident mirrors a previous technical failure on X in 2023 during Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign launch, showcasing the challenges technology presents during high-profile events. As the situation unfolds, it highlights the importance of robust technical infrastructure and cybersecurity measures to prevent such disruptions in the future.
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