Donald Trump praised Elon Musk for doing the country “a big service” by releasing the ‘Twitter Files’ and called the visionary billionaire a free speech “hero.”
Trump’s comments came during an interview with One America News Network.
Host Chanel Rion pointed out that the latest ‘Twitter Files’ drop revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) paid Twitter and colluded with the platform to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop scandal before it broke.
“I’m just telling you, the country can’t believe what they’re seeing,” Trump told Rion. “And Elon Musk did a big service when he released all of this stuff. Because our country is corrupt. Our elections are corrupt.”
“Who would have ever thought we would have seen the FBI putting their hand on the election?”
In his first interview since the release of The Twitter Files, 45th President Donald Trump spoke with OAN's Chief White House Correspondent @ChanelRion Here's part of that discussion as well as Trump's reaction to Elon Musk's Twitter Files release. pic.twitter.com/RaS4l1IDRL
— One America News (@OANN) December 20, 2022
When asked to give a grade on Elon Musk’s role as Twitter chief, Trump hedged and pointed out the billionaire had paid an extremely high price for the takeover of the social media platform.
“I think the price was very high. But I hope that Elon is going to be successful with Twitter,” the former President said. “I think it’s great that he’s releasing this stuff because he’s showing what a corrupt country we’re living in.”
Trump also categorized Musk’s use of an online poll to orchestrate his exit as Twitter chief – he’ll still be owner – as a smart move.
The Republican candidate for President believes Musk’s release of the internal documents showing a cabal of media, intel officials, and Democrat operatives colluding and conspiring to sway an election will be “a very important part of his legacy.”
“Yeah, I’d say he’s a hero. I think that it’s a big part of his legacy,” Trump remarked. “I think it’s more important than other things he’s done.”
President Trump considers Elon Musk a hero: "Elon Musk did a big service when he released all of this stuff... I'd say he's a hero. I think that it's a big part of his legacy. I think it's more important than other things he's done." pic.twitter.com/okQKfrooBg
— Ethan Harsell (@ethan_harsell) December 21, 2022
Things haven’t always been peachy between Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Trump called the Tesla CEO a “bullshit artist” suggesting he was told by Musk that he voted for the former President in the past, even as he claimed that Representative Mayra Flores was his first vote cast for a Republican.
Musk replied to the comments saying, “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat [and] sail into the sunset.”
Musk has also raised the ire of Trump in the past by saying he supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2024 and suggesting Trump offers “too much drama.”
“Do we really want a bull in a china shop situation every single day!?” he asked, ironically before becoming the bull in Twitter’s china shop.
Yeah, but too much drama. Do we really want a bull in a china shop situation every single day!?
Also, I think the legal maximum age for start of Presidential term should be 69.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022
Trump, for his part, is positioning himself to also become a free speech hero should he win back the White House in 2024.
In a fiery speech delivered last week, Trump announced a free speech policy platform for his campaign that seeks to “dismantle and destroy” left-wing censorship.
Wow! I absolutely love President Trump’s policy platform to restore free speech.
This is the kind of policy that will put him back in the White House! pic.twitter.com/UYPeY671cl
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) December 15, 2022
“If we don’t have free speech, then we just don’t have a free country,” Trump told his supporters. “It’s as simple as that.”
“The censorship cartel must be dismantled and destroyed and it must happen immediately.”