SAN FRANCISCO: X, formerly known as Twitter, will host self-styled “town hall” meetings with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy ahead of the country’s November elections.
The move comes as the owner of the social media site,
Elon Musk, appears to be cozying up to Trump, who is reportedly considering the Tesla boss for a role in the White House in the event of a victory, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week.
Musk said in a tweet on Friday that the events “will be interesting,” confirming a report on the matter first made by Axios.
No dates or further details were given for the forums with the ex-president and Kennedy, which will be held in conjunction with cable network NewsNation.
Joe Biden was also extended an invitation, but a source close to his campaign told AFP the president will not participate and remains focused on the already planned pair of debates against Trump.
Since Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, the platform has taken a decidedly right-leaning turn, including with the reinstatement of accounts of right-wing conspiracy theorists, as well as Trump.
The platform has made several attempts to attract conservative politicians, hosting, for example, a Q&A when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he was running to be the Republican presidential candidate.
The launch event was overrun with glitches however. DeSantis later dropped out of the race, giving his support to Trump.
Musk, who once donated money to Democrats, has increasingly used his X account to relay xenophobic conspiracy theories, misinformation and a hard line on immigration that closely matches Trump’s.
Still, the South African-born tech guru has said he will not give his financial support to either Trump or Biden in this year’s election.