Happy Tuesday. Does anyone else take until Tuesday to really start working again, or is it just me?
The long delay in the Trump/Musk chat was caused by hackers (possibly RUSSIAN?!)
launching a dedicated denial-of-service attack. That's where (I think) you make so many attempts to connect with a server you overwhelm it and keep it from connecting with anyone.
The highly anticipated live conversation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, scheduled to air on X Monday evening, faced significant challenges both from technical issues and international pressures. Musk, who has endorsed Trump, reported a suspected DDOS attack that delayed the start of the interview. More than 20 minutes after the intended launch, Musk informed users on X that the platform was working to shut down the attack. He also suggested that the conversation might continue with a smaller audience, with the recording posted later.
However, technical issues weren't the only obstacle. Just hours before the event, European Union officials escalated their efforts to rein in the conversation, pressuring Musk to censor the live interview. Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market, issued a stern warning that the event could violate the EU's new Digital Services Act (DSA), which targets harmful content online.
This intervention by the EU is seen by many as an unprecedented attempt to influence the U.S. presidential campaign, particularly as Trump's interview was expected to draw a massive audience less than 100 days before the election.
Election interference by Europe. For some reason, I don't think this is going to quite tickle the fancy of Jake Tapper as fake election interference by Russia did.
Critics argue that the EU's actions represent a significant overreach, attempting to apply European regulations to American political discourse. X Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino called it "an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the U.S."
Musk's decision to go ahead with the interview, despite these pressures, underscores his commitment to free speech on the platform he acquired in 2022.
Musk reports that the conversation got one billion impressions. Not sure if that includes the connections made during the DDoS attack.
Former President Donald Trump's return to X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday night set an "all-time record," according to Elon Musk, with the interview and subsequent discussion generating 1 billion combined impressions. During the nearly two-and-a-half-hour interview with Musk, Trump described surviving July's assassination attempt as "a miracle," criticized Vice President Kamala Harris as "all talk" on border security, and questioned President Biden's mental acuity, stating he "might not even have an IQ at all."
Key Details:
The interview, initially scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time, experienced a brief delay, which Elon Musk attributed to a "massive DDOS attack on X."
Trump gained just under a million new followers on X since before the interview began, with the event now reaching 1 billion combined impressions, a record for the platform.
In response to the record-breaking impressions, Trump posted on Truth Social, "An all-time record, but the media refuses to write about it because they are FAKE NEWS!"
Diving Deeper:
...
Reflecting on the assassination attempt he survived last month, Trump described the experience as "a miracle," stating, "For those people that don't believe in God, I think we all got to start thinking about that." He emphasized how the incident reinforced his faith and his belief in divine intervention. He also praised the Secret Service, particularly the counter-sniper who acted quickly to neutralize the threat, saying, "He took aim very quickly -- and they say it was approximately five seconds, from long range, one bullet."
The conversation then shifted to immigration, where Trump sharply criticized Vice President Kamala Harris. "Kamala was the border czar, now she's denying it," Trump stated, accusing her of being "all talk" without taking meaningful action to address the crisis at the southern border. He expressed frustration with the ongoing issues, noting, "She could close [the border] up right now."
Trump and Musk also touched on the state of American cities, with Musk sharing how friends of his mother had been attacked in New York. Trump linked this to broader issues of crime and immigration, expressing concern about the impact on cities like New York. "We're overwhelmed. You had to see the news tonight about New York, New York, and I love that place, and what they're doing to it is horrible," he remarked.
Trump didn't hold back when discussing President Biden's mental acuity either, questioning his capacity to lead the nation. "This president [has] a low IQ, very low IQ. He had a low IQ 30 years ago, by the way, but now he might not even have an IQ at all," Trump remarked, emphasizing his concerns about Biden's ability to handle the complexities of the presidency. He used this critique to further contrast his own leadership with what he perceives as Biden's inadequacies, particularly in the realm of international relations and decision-making.
...
As the interview concluded, Trump announced his plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a rally in October, just before the November election. "We're going back to Butler, and we're going to go back in October," he said, adding that his first line in Butler would be, "As I was saying..."
That's funny.