At the end of the nearly two-hour Musk/Trump exchange on X, Musk ended with the following remark.

“I think we’re at a fork in the road of destiny, of civilization, and I think we need to take the right path, and I think you’re the right path, so I think that’s where it comes down,” Musk added.

The interview, which Musk claimed was listened to by approximately 1 billion people as of Tuesday, marked Trump’s most prominent return to the platform after being banned in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Here are 5 highlights from their exchange.

‘Now I’m more of a believer’

The two started off their discussion talking about the assassination attempt against Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, which claimed the life of volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other rallygoers.

Trump told Musk that the attempt against his life was “surreal” and “not pleasant,” but also went on to suggest that his narrow escape from death was the result of divine intervention and that it has strengthened his faith in God.

Trump noted that he only avoided a bullet because he happened to turn his head slightly at just the right moment as he was looking off toward his right at a chart about illegal immigration statistics.

“For those who don’t believe in God, I think we’ve got to all start thinking about that. I’m a believer. Now I’m more of a believer, I think. And a lot of people have said that to me. A lot of great people have said that to me, actually,” he continued.

Crime Crisis

While Trump joked that illegal immigration saved his life because of the chart he turned to look at in Butler, he also spoke about the dangers posed by the unrestrained surge of illegal immigration during the Biden-Harris administration.

Trump painted a grim view of Biden’s presidency, claiming that “nobody’s better off now” than they were four years ago amid what he claimed were rising crime and inflation.

“Now [people] really feel unsafe, because you have a new form of crime. It’s called ‘migrant crime.’ I call it Biden migrant crime,’ maybe I’ll call it ‘Kamala migrant crime.'”

Musk noted how his mother lives in New York City and that three of her friends were assaulted in separate incidents while walking in the streets.

“They don’t even bother reporting it, because they know people aren’t going to get prosecuted,” Musk said. “They just let violent criminals out in New York.”

“The only one that gets prosecuted is Donald Trump,” Trump interjected, later adding that the allegedly political persecution against him is setting a dangerous precedent.

Tampon Tim

Trump hit at Harris’ running mate Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., for supporting a 2023 state education law that potentially mandated free tampons in public school boys’ bathrooms.

Musk asked Trump to comment on apparent attempts to portray Vice President Kamala Harris as a moderate despite her far-left political record, which he described as an “overnight propaganda attempt.”

“Her running mate approved, signed into legislation, tampons in boys’ bathrooms, OK?” Trump said as Musk laughed. “Now, that’s all I have to hear. Tampons in boys’ bathrooms. And that means she believes in that, too!”

Trump added that she picked Walz because she is closest to him as “an anti-Israel, radical left person,” and that if the two of them win, he doesn’t think “the country can survive.”

EU and NATO

Trump also blasted the European Union for allegedly ripping off the United States, even as the U.S. provides protection for them through NATO.

“I know the European Union very well,” Trump said. “They take great advantage of the United States in trade, as you know. Through a different forum, NATO, we protect them. And yet, if you build a car in the United States, you can’t sell it in Europe. You just can’t sell it, it’s impossible. The same thing with our farmers. Our farmers find it very difficult to do business,” Trump said.

“We have a deficit with them of $250 billion, which people don’t know. It sounds so nice — the ‘European Union,’ but let me tell you, they’re not as tough as China, but they’re bad. And let them know it, and that’s probably why they notified you,” Trump continued, referring to the letter that European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services Thierry Breton sent to Musk ahead of the Trump interview that warned him against spreading “harmful content.”

A fork in the road

At the end of their conversation, Trump and Musk agreed that the upcoming U.S. presidential election presents “a fork in the road.”

Trump explained that he intends to provide more incentive for companies to come to the U.S. and hire American citizens, which he noted is fundamental to the American Dream.

“We’re going to give incentive to companies to come into our country not to leave our country,” he said. “We’re going to be giving tremendous incentives. We want companies to build here not to build in other locations, and we want to create jobs.”

“It’s about the American Dream, you don’t hear about the American Dream anymore, Elon,” Trump continued, adding that Musk is an example of the American Dream “in the truest sense.”

“And you’re going to hear about it from people,” he said. “They need that incentive to go out and do it. And they’re going to love their lives. […] They’re going to look forward to getting up in the morning and going to a job that they love, not a job that they can’t stand, or not any job at all, where they have no money.”

Trump closed his remarks by calling Musk “a great inspiration” and warning that the election will be unusually consequential.

“We’re going to have a big election coming up, and I think November 5 will be the most important day in the history of our country,” Trump said. “I think that election will be the most important, and I think it’ll end up being maybe the most important day in the history of our country. Because if we don’t win, I just feel so sorry for everybody.”