WASHINGTON – On Monday, billionaire and social media entrepreneur Elon Musk held a very cordial interview with his preferred 2024 presidential candidate, Republican Donald Trump. However, there was a significant delay of about 40 minutes before the broadcast could begin due to a technical issue with X.

During the initial start of the broadcast at 8 p.m. Eastern time, many X users were unable to hear anything due to an Internet denial of service issue that has affected the platform previously.

Musk reassured frustrated viewers on X, stating, “Worst case, we will proceed with a smaller number of live listeners and post the conversation later.”

Eventually, the interview commenced just after 8:40 p.m., with Musk expressing his distaste for “adversarial” interviews while millions tuned in to listen.

Much of the time was spent discussing the GOP nominee’s recent assassination attempt and their shared stance against illegal immigration. Trump mentioned plans to visit Butler, Pennsylvania, the location of a shooting incident last month.

Musk referred to the assassination attempt as “a very near thing,” to which Trump replied: “It was a miracle If I hadn’t turned my head, yeah, I would not be talking to you right now, as much as I like you.”

Throughout the session, Musk let Trump criticize Democratic vice president Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden without offering any counterarguments, allowing Trump to repeat familiar narratives from his presidency.

The former president also spoke against the legal challenges and criminal lawsuits he is facing, again with Musk supporting his view without skepticism, even criticizing what he called “abuse of the legal system.”

They did not touch on campaign fundraising during the interview, although Trump expressed surprise at the large audience, quipping, “Do I get paid for this or not?”

Harris’s aides dismissed the interview as little more than a promotional piece for Trump.

“Donald Trump’s radical views and dangerous Project 2025 agenda were clearly on display for anyone who listened,” said Joseph Costello, a spokesperson for Harris’s campaign. “His campaign serves only himself and people like Elon Musk, wealthy individuals who would forsake the middle class and are unable to manage a livestream in 2024.”

Despite the early broadcast issues, Trump supporters seemed pleased with the two-hour dialogue, while numerous users vocally expressed their annoyance at the initial delays.

U.S. Senator Mike Lee from Utah tweeted, “The @realDonaldTrump X space lets me in briefly and then says it’s unavailable.” Later, he expressed gratitude saying, “Thank you, @realDonaldTrump, for your willingness to serve.”

The broadcast malfunction resembled the chaos encountered during Musk’s 2023 conversation with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when he launched his presidential campaign.

Some Trump enthusiasts took the glitches humorously, with activist Laura Loomer posting on X: “President Trump broke the internet. Literally.” A spokesperson for Trump also celebrated saying, “BREAKING THE INTERNET!”

The Trump campaign intended to leverage the event for fundraising purposes.

In another X post, the campaign declared, “This is the biggest interview in history, and we’re asking YOU to help make this President Trump’s BIGGEST FUNDRAISING DAY EVER!”

Critics of Trump reminded viewers of previous comments made regarding DeSantis’ streaming issues last year: “Glitchy. Tech issues. Awkward silences. A complete failure to launch. And that’s just about the candidate.”