In a turn of events that should shock nobody, Donald Trump and Elon Musk did not shift the world with their recent, widely publicized interview.
The narcissistic pair had the chat on Musk’s social media platform X, during which the former president and convicted felon hit on familiar talking points and was allowed to ramble on aimlessly by his host. Many believed that this was a chance for Trump to arrest the slide that has hit his campaign since announcing JD Vance as his running mate, and to try and hit back at the Democrats, who are surging ever since Biden was replaced by Harris as the presidential candidate.
However, the interview would have done nothing to win independents over, a key demographic that Trump will need if he wants to be voted into the White House a second time. This point was succinctly noted by The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Trump was originally banned from X, then known as Twitter, for promoting violence in the aftermath of the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. He went on to make his own social network, Truth Social, which has recently been in the news for its floundering user numbers and tanking stock price.
The former Apprentice host had learned to navigate Twitter/X well, and there’s no doubt that his way of interacting with the platform played a part in his win in 2016. Now, with him returning to the social media network, there is a chance that he could rekindle that flame. With that said, Trump in 2024 is clearly struggling more than he did eight years ago, making gaffes that even for him are bad, like comparing his opponent in the 2024 election to his wife, and in the process, making it seem like he’s thirsting after Harris.
As the election looms closer, Trump really seems to be feeling the pressure. This is especially true as his tactics that worked so well in 2016, like endless lies and attempted smears of his opponents, appear to be falling flat, with the general public sick of his antics. Then there’s the fact that his policies appear to be wildly unpopular, especially around taxes and women’s healthcare.
As he retreats further into his safe space of MAGA lovers, America finds itself balanced on the edge of a precipice. Even if Trump loses, there’s no doubt that he’ll try to claim a victory, so the election must be decisively won to ensure his claims are dismissed. Thankfully, the 45th president’s hubris and declining mental state means that might just happen, as long as people get out to vote.