Donald Trump and Elon Musk mock climate change: global warming means "more oceanfront property"

Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump finally started after a 40-minute delay caused by technical issues on X's Spaces platform.

Eighteen minutes into an interview that was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EDT, Musk shared on X that the platform was facing a "massive" denial-of-service (DDOS) attack. 

This federal crime involves overwhelming a site with data to force it offline.

Despite the technical issues, the Trump-Musk interview managed to draw in over a million listeners worldwide. 

Trump began by congratulating Musk, saying, "You broke records, you silence voices.”, he said. 

"Congratulations for breaking every record in the book".

Musk began the conversation by asking Trump about the assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania last month.

Reflecting on the shooting, Trump remarked, “I didn’t know I had that much blood,” while also noting that it was the “best alternative you could think about” considering he wasn't more seriously injured.

“I’m a believer, now. I’m more of a believer in God, I think,” Trump said.

Trump went on to assert that he was targeted because of his stance on immigration.

Musk jokingly implied that the charts, which caused Trump to reposition himself just before the gunshots, might have saved his life.

“I just want to say that I think a lot of people admire your courage under fire there,” Musk said.

Trump later quipped, "Illegal immigration saved my life," referencing the topic and the chart he was discussing when the gunshots started.

Donald Trump dismissed concerns about climate change, joking that rising sea levels would just create “more oceanfront property.” 

Surprisingly, Elon Musk, who had exited Trump's presidential advisory councils in 2017 after the decision to pull out of the Paris climate accords, did not challenge Trump's comments.

This silence contrasts with Musk's earlier statements, where he emphasized that “Tesla exists to help reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change, which affects all species on Earth. Even if your faith in humanity is faltering, this is worth caring about.”

Musk's choice not to challenge Trump during the interview has led to questions about his position on climate issues.

In the meantime, Trump has toned down his criticism of electric vehicles, acknowledging Musk’s leadership at Tesla.

On Monday, Trump made a strong return to Musk’s social media platform, posting at least eight times in the hours before the interview.