Elon Musk’s social media platform X will stage a town hall with former President Donald Trump — three years after he was suspended from the site in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president, who was convicted Thursday in connection with a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, will answer submitted questions during the livestream event, which will also be broadcast in a partnership deal with cable channel NewsNation.
The social media company is also planning a similar town hall with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, who is running for president as an independent.
President Joe Biden was invited by the social media company to do a debate or a town hall, but he declined, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported news of the X sit-downs.
The date, location and moderators for the town halls have yet to be announced.
X users will submit questions but the moderators will have final say over what is asked. The moderators will likely include at least one NewsNation host, alongside other journalists, Axios reported.
Trump, who famously steamrolled CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during a town hall last year, has the first of his two debates against Biden slated for June 27.
The idea for the town halls was first conceived by X CEO Linda Yaccarino, who pitched it to Nexstar Media Group, NewsNation’s parent company.
The Post has sought comment from X and NewsNation as well as the campaigns for Trump, Kennedy and Biden.
Trump has posted just once on X since his ban was lifted by Musk last year after he acquired the site formerly known as Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022,
The town hall comes a flurry of reports indicating that Musk and Trump have grown closer in recent months.
Musk, has not been shy about voicing his displeasure with Biden, and Trump have reportedly met to discuss a wide range of issues, including cryptocurrency policy and a possible invitation for the mogul to address the Republican National Convention this summer, according to Bloomberg News.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief wrote on X that he was “pretty sure I’ve never discussed crypto with Trump, although I am generally in favor of things that shift power from government to the people, which crypto can do.”
The two have also reportedly discussed a possible advisory role for Musk should Trump win the election rematch in November.
Their allies have also been in conversations about the federal government’s electric vehicle policy as well as the space program.
Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump, told Bloomberg News: “President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency.”
“Many of the nation’s most important leaders in technology and innovation are concerned with the damage done to their industry by Biden’s failures.”
Recently, Musk attended a dinner in Los Angeles that featured tech moguls who have united to derail a potential second term for the Democrat, who finds himself trailing Trump in polls in several key swing states.
The Musk-Trump connection is a sign that high-profile Silicon Valley figures no longer feel the need to hide their affinity for the Republican despite the fact that tech has been largely dominated by Democratic-leaning supporters.
Prominent venture capitalists such as Marc Andreessen, Chamath Palihapitiya and David Sacks have either been vocal in denouncing Biden’s policies or have explicitly stated their support for Trump.
News of the town hall on X came amid a flurry of reports indicating that Musk and Trump have grown closer in recent months.
The Tesla mogul and the former president have reportedly met to discuss a wide range of issues, including cryptocurrency policy and a possible invitation for Musk to address the Republican National Convention this summer, according to Bloomberg News.
Musk, who lifted the ban on Trump’s Twitter account after he acquired the social media platform for $44 billion in late 2022, has not been shy about voicing his displeasure with President Biden.
Recently he attended a dinner in Los Angeles that featured tech moguls who have united to derail a potential second term for Biden, the Democrat who finds himself trailing in the polls behind Trump in several key swing states.
Before having his Twitter account suspended, Trump’s rampant tweeting helped him amass popular support en route to capturing the GOP nomination in 2015 and his shock victory over Hillary Clinton in the general election in 2016.
He created his own social media platform, Truth Social, after the Twitter ban.
Founded in 2022, the platform, which is owned by parent company Trump Media and Technology Group, was beset with glitches and other technical problems.
Trump Media’s stock began trading on March 26 after the company merged Digital World Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC.
Trump supporters and speculators snapped up the company’s shares, sending them soaring as much as 59% in their Nasdaq debut.
The company reported revenues of $770,500 for the March quarter and an adjusted operating loss of $12.1 million.
Shares of the company are down roughly 4% Friday, a day after Trump was became the first former commander in chief convicted of a felony. A Manhattan jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
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