Continuing a trend on the site formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk interviewed 2024 presidential hopeful and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in a public X space.
Mr. Musk interviewed another Republican candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in a glitch-ridden space in late May.
He went on to host Democratic aspirant Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in early June. Mr. Musk publicly invited Mr. Kennedy to appear in a space after the Democrat revealed he had been booted off of Instagram, a social media site owned by Meta.
Mr. Ramaswamy’s space garnered more than 500,000 total viewers, according to X’s public metrics in the minutes after it finished. Toward the end, the space recorded more than 46,000 active listeners.
Defends ‘Merit-Based Legal Immigration’
Mr. Ramaswamy showcased his self-described “America First 2.0” platform, ahead of an appearance on Saturday with other Republicans at the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines.
The candidate shared the space stage with Mr. Musk, venture capitalist David Sacks, and others, including influencer Ian Miles Cheong and social scientist Richard Hanania.
Mr. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and anti-ESG investor, blurbed Mr. Hanania’s new book, “The Origins of Woke,” saying that Mr. Hanania is “unafraid to transcend the Overton Window on issues of race and gender because he is grounded in irrefutable facts and history.”
Yet, in a discussion of immigration, the son of high-achieving legal immigrants made it clear where he stands apart from at least some within the powerful “America First 1.0” coalition, defined in recent times by his 2024 competitor, former President Donald J. Trump.
The conversation turned to immigration after dwelling on the fear of American decline. Mr. Ramaswamy argued that promoting economic growth is crucial to ensuring the country flourishes rather than falters.
“We want to obviously, I think, try to attract the people from around the world who are also merit-focused … We should make it much easier for them to join,” said Mr. Musk, a legal immigrant born in South Africa.
“I agree with that. I actually fully agree with that,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
By Nathan Worcester
