Quick Hit:

Former President Donald Trump's return to X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday night set an "all-time record," according to Elon Musk, with the interview and subsequent discussion generating 1 billion combined impressions. During the nearly two-and-a-half-hour interview with Musk, Trump described surviving July's assassination attempt as "a miracle," criticized Vice President Kamala Harris as "all talk" on border security, and questioned President Biden’s mental acuity, stating he "might not even have an IQ at all."

Key Details:

• The interview, initially scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time, experienced a brief delay, which Elon Musk attributed to a "massive DDOS attack on X."

• Trump gained just under a million new followers on X since before the interview began, with the event now reaching 1 billion combined impressions, a record for the platform.

• In response to the record-breaking impressions, Trump posted on Truth Social, “An all-time record, but the media refuses to write about it because they are FAKE NEWS!”

Diving Deeper:

After nearly two years away from the platform, former President Donald Trump made his return to X Monday night, engaging in a live conversation with the platform’s owner, Elon Musk. The interview, though briefly delayed, proceeded as planned and drew significant attention, with the number of concurrent listeners peaking at over 1.3 million. Trump's return to the platform also saw a surge in his following, with just under a million new followers added since before the interview began. The event has since been confirmed by Musk and X to have generated an unprecedented 1 billion impressions, with Musk tweeting, “Combined views of the conversation with @realDonaldTrump and subsequent discussion by other accounts now ~1 billion.”

Reflecting on the assassination attempt he survived last month, Trump described the experience as "a miracle," stating, "For those people that don't believe in God, I think we all got to start thinking about that." He emphasized how the incident reinforced his faith and his belief in divine intervention. He also praised the Secret Service, particularly the counter-sniper who acted quickly to neutralize the threat, saying, "He took aim very quickly — and they say it was approximately five seconds, from long range, one bullet."

The conversation then shifted to immigration, where Trump sharply criticized Vice President Kamala Harris. "Kamala was the border czar, now she’s denying it," Trump stated, accusing her of being "all talk" without taking meaningful action to address the crisis at the southern border. He expressed frustration with the ongoing issues, noting, "She could close [the border] up right now."

Trump and Musk also touched on the state of American cities, with Musk sharing how friends of his mother had been attacked in New York. Trump linked this to broader issues of crime and immigration, expressing concern about the impact on cities like New York. "We’re overwhelmed. You had to see the news tonight about New York, New York, and I love that place, and what they're doing to it is horrible," he remarked.

Trump didn’t hold back when discussing President Biden’s mental acuity either, questioning his capacity to lead the nation. "This president [has] a low IQ, very low IQ. He had a low IQ 30 years ago, by the way, but now he might not even have an IQ at all," Trump remarked, emphasizing his concerns about Biden’s ability to handle the complexities of the presidency. He used this critique to further contrast his own leadership with what he perceives as Biden’s inadequacies, particularly in the realm of international relations and decision-making.

On foreign policy, Trump criticized the Biden administration’s handling of international relations, particularly with Russia and North Korea. He described leaders like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as "tough, smart, vicious," adding, "They’re at the top of their game; they’re going to protect their country." Trump contrasted this with what he perceives as weakness in the current U.S. leadership, warning that adversaries are taking advantage of the situation.

As the interview concluded, Trump announced his plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a rally in October, just before the November election. "We’re going back to Butler, and we’re going to go back in October," he said, adding that his first line in Butler would be, "As I was saying..."