5 takeaways from Donald Trump’s interview with Elon Musk

It wasn’t the night Donald Trump wanted or needed.

An overhyped interview that attracted 1.5 million listeners at its peak was overshadowed by a 40-minute delay on X, formerly Twitter.

Elon Musk blamed a cyberattack, though his critics question whether his social media platform failed to accommodate the increased traffic. The wonky rollout brought back memories of Musk’s glitchy interview with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who launched his primary campaign in a softball interview with the billionaire business mogul.

Trump also faced softball after softball and, in fairness, Musk let the audience know it would be a friendly chat — a chance for self-described moderates like him to “catch a vibe.”

The Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign seized on the moment: “Trump’s entire campaign is in service of people like Elon Musk and himself — self-obsessed rich guys who will sell out the middle class and who cannot run a livestream in the year 2024.”

Here’s what you missed:

Trump slurs words

Toward the end of the two-hour conversation, many listeners noted that the former president sounded like he was talking with a lisp and slurring his words. The question of whether Trump was slurring was trending online for a while. His campaign said there must be something wrong with listeners’ hearing.

What was clear, though, were all the slurs Trump used against his political opponents. He said President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020 and is no longer running in the 2024 election, has a “stupid face.” He called Harris a “phony,” “incompetent,” “third rate” and “a radical left lunatic.”

But he seemingly praised her looks, referring to her depiction on the cover of Time magazine. “She looks like the most beautiful actress ever to live. It was a drawing, and actually, she looked very much like a great first lady, Melania,” Trump said, referring to his wife, Melania Trump.

Trump blows his lead

Trump started the 2024 election with the wind at his back. The top two issues for voters were the economy and immigration, and Republicans are generally more trusted by voters to handle those issues than Democrats. Some legal rulings were starting to go his way. He survived an assassination attempt and earned praise and sympathy from some of his sharpest critics. He went into the Republican National Convention with the confidence of a comeback and as the candidate likely to win the election.

That started to change almost immediately when Biden, under pressure from his disastrous debate performance June 27, bowed out of the race July 21 and passed the baton to Harris.

In three weeks, Trump’s lead has eroded partially because of Harris’ momentum and primarily because of Trump’s inability to stay on message and exert self-control against his worst impulses. His unscripted tirades and falsehoods, like those on display in his recent Mar-a-Lago press conference, turn off the moderate voters he needs to win.

In the Musk interview, he didn’t do himself any favors when he called Democrats switching nominees a “coup” and a “scam.” He didn’t help himself when he dwelled on the past and called the 2020 election “rigged,” which it was not. He was merely giving off bad vibes and reminding some voters why they were uneasy with him.

Praising Musk for cutting workers

If Trump is elected in November, he plans to dismantle the Department of Education. He cheered Musk’s efforts to get rid of workers who demand better working conditions. Musk has previously estimated that he cut 80% of Twitter’s staff when he bought it.

“You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump said. “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you just say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike — I won’t mention the name of the company — but they go on strike. And you say, ‘That’s OK, you’re all gone.’ ”

That message will not play well with blue-collar workers in battleground states.

Trump praises dictators

This is becoming a consistent refrain for Trump, likely turning off voters who strongly disagree with the former president’s assessment.

In the Musk interview, Trump described Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as at the “top of their game.”

Many Americans see them as authoritarians who aren’t worthy of praise. They don’t see Trump’s words as an attempt at diplomacy. They see them as wildly off base.

Trump talks illegal immigration

Both Trump and Musk agree the U.S. won’t sustain itself if immigration continues as is.

Trump again claimed other countries are emptying their prisons and sending murderers to the U.S., and he promised the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.

Immigration remains a top issue for voters, but Trump didn’t spend enough time on the issue. He wasn’t thorough and continued to veer off track with his campaign.

The Musk interview wasn’t the opportunity Trump needed to reset the race after losing momentum to Harris.

Inflation, a border crisis, a desire for change, and the electoral map favor Republicans this year. But Trump isn’t benefiting from that because he’s focused on past grievances and name-calling, and not laying out a clear plan for the future.

Candy Woodall is the opinion editor at The Baltimore Sun.