Donald Trump Jokes About Climate Change: ‘More Oceanfront Property'-Elon Musk Stays Silent

Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump commenced after a 40-minute delay due to technical problems on X's Spaces platform.

The interview, initially scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EDT, was postponed as Musk revealed on X that the platform was experiencing a "massive" denial-of-service attack (DDOS).

This cyberattack, classified as a federal crime, involves overwhelming a site with excessive data to disrupt its functionality. Outage tracker Downdetector had previously reported an increase in issues accessing X, though it was not immediately confirmed if this was related to the alleged attack.

Musk, later in the conversation, attributed the delay to the DDOS attack, suggesting that it highlighted significant opposition to Trump's message. Similar issues had occurred during Musk's May 2023 interview with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which Musk had also blamed on server overload.

Interview Highlights and Key Statements

Despite the technical glitches, the interview managed to attract over a million global listeners. Trump began by congratulating Musk, saying, "You broke records, you silenced voices," and praised him for "breaking every record in the book."

The discussion commenced with Musk questioning Trump about the assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally last month. Trump reflected on the incident, stating, "I didn't know I had that much blood," and described the shooting as "the best alternative you could think about" given the circumstances. He expressed a newfound belief in God following the event and linked the attack to his stance on immigration.

Trump's Comments on Immigration and Climate Change

During the interview, Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris's handling of immigration, claiming, "You have millions of people coming in a month. And they have another 5 months." He asserted that there are 20 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S., though this figure was disputed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported approximately 7.1 million arrests for illegal crossings from January 2021 to June 2024, but these figures include multiple encounters by some individuals.

In a surprising move, Trump mocked climate change concerns by suggesting that rising sea levels would result in "more oceanfront property." This remark was met with notable silence from Musk, who had previously been vocal about climate change and his commitment to addressing it through Tesla. Musk's lack of response to Trump's comments raised questions about his current stance on climate issues.

European Concerns and Trump Campaign Response

The interview has prompted a response from Europe, with Thierry Breton, the European Union's commissioner for the internal market, expressing concerns about the potential "amplification of harmful content." Breton urged Musk to ensure compliance with EU regulations, particularly the Digital Services Act aimed at combating disinformation.

In response, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticized the EU's intervention, labeling it as an infringement on free speech and asserting that the EU had no authority to influence the U.S. presidential campaign. Musk, who recently endorsed Trump's candidacy following the former president's rally attack, has shifted away from his previous Democratic affiliations.

The interview has garnered significant attention and controversy, highlighting the complexities and challenges surrounding modern political discourse and media platforms.