Musk expressed worries about what might happen to X if Kamala Harris were to become president, speculating that she would 'freaking shut down' the platform.
In a 2.38 hour long interview with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk vehemently defended his contentious Twitter acquisition—now known as X. He presented the purchase as an essential intervention to defend free speech and American democracy in general, rather than as a business choice.
The appearance on the podcast follows appearances on Rogan's show by Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, within the last week. Musk, who has been actively campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania, reaffirmed his assertion that 'this will be the last real election if Trump doesn’t win.'
DOJ's ongoing law suite against SpaceX
Citing the DOJ's ongoing lawsuit against SpaceX for allegedly discriminating against asylum seekers despite the fact that it is illegal for the company to hire non-permanent residents because of the sensitive nature of their technology, he expressed a fear of politically motivated lawsuits.
The government 'decided SpaceX was a target' and then 'figured out the crime afterward,' he said, describing this as a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.
Musk contended that this underscores the perils of unbridled governmental authority and the significance of platforms such as X in preserving free expression and open discourse.
Musk's concerns about pre-acquisition censorship
Musk raised serious concerns about the platform's pre-acquisition censorship, citing Donald Trump's ban as a turning point. "He was posting things like, 'Hey, we do not riot, Please stay calm.' What's wrong with that?" he said, challenging the narrative surrounding the former president's tweets.
He also disputed the notion that Trump's appeals for rest were "dog whistles," which would imply the opposite, contending that it was nonsensical to bar someone for deterring violence.
