Trump warns Middle East situation could spark World War III

A recent interview between former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and billionaire businessman Elon Musk was broadcast on the social media platform X. In the interview, which began 40 minutes late, Trump claimed that if he were president, “the attack on Israel would never have happened, and Russia would never have attacked Ukraine.” He also warned that the situation in the Middle East could lead to World War III.

Technical glitches and delay in broadcast

The broadcast, scheduled to start at 3:00 AM Türkiye time, was inaccessible to many users. Musk addressed the issue on his X account, stating, “It appears there’s a significant DDOS attack on X. We’re working to stop it. At worst, we’ll continue with fewer live listeners and publish the conversation later.”

He added that they had previously tested the system with 8 million concurrent listeners and would continue the broadcast with fewer listeners before releasing the unedited recording.

1.3 million listeners tune in despite delay

The interview with Trump, delayed by approximately 40 minutes due to technical issues, eventually attracted over 1.3 million listeners by the 45-minute mark, according to a counter on X.

The interview lasted nearly two hours, during which Trump took aim at his election rivals, Kamala Harris and current President Joe Biden.

Trump praises Musk and criticizes Biden

Attempting to put a positive spin on the situation, Trump congratulated Musk for the number of people trying to watch the broadcast.

Musk, in turn, spent much of the first part of the interview praising Trump’s bravery during an assassination attempt on July 13. Trump mentioned plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where the attack occurred, for a rally in October.

Trump claimed that President Biden had been forced to withdraw from the presidential race, stating, “This was a coup against the U.S. President. Biden didn’t want to leave, but they told him it could be done the easy way or the hard way.” He also criticized Biden’s intelligence, claiming, “The President has a very low IQ; it was low 30 years ago, but now it may be nonexistent.”

Middle East conflict could lead to World War III

Trump asserted that if he were president, the war in Ukraine would never have occurred, saying, “Despite a two-year Russia investigation against me, I had a good relationship with Putin. He respected me. We would have sat down and talked about Ukraine before the war even started.”

He also blamed Biden for the ongoing conflicts and crises, stating, “If I were in office, the attack on Israel would never have happened, Russia would never have invaded Ukraine, we wouldn’t have inflation in our country, and the disaster in Afghanistan wouldn’t have occurred.”

Trump expressed concerns about the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, suggesting that the conflicts could escalate to a regional level and potentially lead to World War III. He also mentioned Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, asserting that the U.S. should have such a system and that he would implement it if elected president.

Finally, Trump emphasized his strong support for Israel and questioned how a Jewish person could vote for Kamala Harris, saying, “If you believe in Israel and vote for Harris, she’s worse and more disrespectful than Biden.”