Elon Musk-Donald Trump X Interview: ‘This was a coup,’ Former President claims over Biden exit | 17 key statements

Donald Trump-Elon Musk interview: Former US President Donald Trump has returned to the microblogging platform X for a live interview with the platform's owner, Elon Musk. The event, held on X Spaces, experienced technical issues, with many users complaining about difficulties accessing the conversation. Despite the glitches, the X community engaged in a meme fest to share their reactions.

Here are top quotes from Donald Trump's interview with Elon Musk

• During the interview, Trump discussed a wide range of topics, including a recent incident at a Pennsylvania rally where an attempted assassination took place. "I knew immediately that it was a bullet. I knew immediately that it was at the ear... For those people that don't believe in God, I think we all have to start thinking about that," Trump said to Musk.
• Addressing the issue of immigration, Trump criticised Vice President Kamala Harris's handling of the situation. "You have millions of people coming in a month, and she gets up and she pretends like she's gonna do something," he stated, accusing the Biden administration of failing to control the border. He further claimed there are 20 million illegal immigrants in the US.
• Donald Trump criticized Kamala Harris for avoiding long-form interviews since securing the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Comparing her approach to his own, Trump said, “It's nice to have a forum like this.” 
• He also took a jab at President Biden, stating, "It's pretty sad when you think that somebody that does this for a living can't answer a question or is afraid to do an interview." Elon Musk chimed in, claiming that Harris wouldn’t agree to an interview with him.
• “If I had not turned my head, I would not be talking to you right now — as much as I like you," Trump told X’s owner Elon Musk. “There was a lack of coordination. ... Everybody understands that building should have been covered.”
• The conversation, described by Musk as “unscripted with no limits on subject matter,” was scheduled for 8 pm (Eastern Time). Musk encouraged X users to participate by asking their own questions to the former president.
• Notably, the interview was hosted on Musk's X account rather than Trump's mostly dormant account on the platform. Musk, a Democrat until a few years ago, recently endorsed Trump's candidacy following the former president's injury during the Pennsylvania rally shooting.
• Trump expressed his concerns about artificial intelligence, specifically its considerable electricity consumption. He started by acknowledging that Elon Musk is a "big fan" of AI. He then shared his astonishment regarding the technology's energy needs.
• "This is shocking to me, but AI requires twice the energy that the country already produces for everything," Trump said. "You’re gonna need a lot of electricity, you’re gonna need tremendous electricity, like almost double what we produced now for the whole country, if you can believe it," he added.
• Musk simply responded, "Sure," following Trump's statements.
• Ahead of the interview, Trump shared a video on his X account highlighting his tenure in office. He also posted an audio message saying, “They're not coming after me, they're coming after you, and I just happen to be standing in their way, and I will never be moving."
• Trump has emphasized his familiarity with leaders such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, stating, “They're smart and they're vicious.” 
• "I beat Biden so bad in the debate, he was forced out of the race - one of the greatest debate performances ever. Biden's exit, it was a coup." the 78-year-old said.
• Trump suggested that these leaders have a low opinion of current U.S. leadership: "When they see a Kamala or sleepy Joe, they can't believe it," he remarked, notably mispronouncing the vice president's name.
• Recounting his interactions with Putin, Trump claimed he advised against the invasion of Ukraine. "I told him, 'Don't do it. You can't do it, Vladimir,'" Trump recounted. According to Trump, Putin initially dismissed the advice, prompting Trump to respond with, "'No way,' and I said, 'Way.'"
• Trump also took a jab at Vice President Harris, claiming that “Everything I did, she says she is doing it." He labeled her as "fake" and reiterated that the number of illegal migrants crossing the border has increased under her watch.
• Reflecting on the Pennsylvania rally, Trump called it “a miracle" that his supporters did not flee despite the gunshots. He praised his Secret Service sniper, saying, "I've to take my hat off to him," for his response during the incident where Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate him.