Amidst a highly anticipated interview between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, the Kamala Harris campaign took aim at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, sending out a fundraising email to supporters. The email, titled “The two worst people you know are live this evening,” accused Musk of using his influential platform, X, to spread Trump’s “unhinged and hateful agenda.”
The campaign labeled Musk a “lackey” for former President Trump and highlighted his financial support for Trump’s re-election bid. The email also urged supporters to donate $25 to counteract what they called Trump’s lies.
This criticism came on the heels of the EU’s warning to Musk regarding promoting harmful content during his interview with Trump. Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for the Internal Market, reminded Musk that X falls under the jurisdiction of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to regulate illegal content and misinformation on major social media platforms.
Despite a 44-minute delay caused by a DDoS attack on X, the interview attracted over 1.3 million listeners. Trump praised Musk for “breaking every record in the book tonight,” suggesting overwhelming demand for the event.
The interview itself covered a wide range of topics, including the failed assassination attempt on Trump, Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, immigration, inflation, and more. The Harris campaign’s email, however, focused on the perceived influence of Musk’s platform and its potential to amplify Trump’s messages.
This incident highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the role of social media platforms in political discourse and the potential for them to be used to spread misinformation. It also underlines the EU’s increasing efforts to regulate online content and ensure the responsible use of social media platforms.
