During a highly anticipated interview with X owner Elon Musk, former President Donald Trump made a bold promise to build an “Iron Dome” missile defense system for the United States. The interview, which was plagued by technical glitches, was Trump’s first public appearance on the social media platform since his reinstatement.
Trump, who is running for president in 2024, vowed to construct a state-of-the-art missile defense shield that would be entirely built in America. “We’re going to have the greatest [Iron] Dome of them all,” Trump declared.
The Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Israel to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometers away. It has been used by Israel to protect its citizens from rocket attacks launched from Gaza.
Trump’s promise to build an Iron Dome for the United States comes at a time when tensions between the U.S. and its adversaries are high. The former president has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s handling of national security issues, particularly its response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
During the interview, Trump also took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, who he claimed would not take the necessary steps to protect the country if she were to become president. “Kamala was the border czar. Now she’s denying it,” Trump said, referring to Harris’s role in overseeing the administration’s response to the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The interview between Trump and Musk, which was billed as an “unscripted” conversation, was plagued by technical issues that prevented many users from joining. Musk later claimed that the platform was experiencing a “massive” denial-of-service attack. Despite the glitches, the interview generated significant buzz on social media, with many users sharing snippets and reactions to Trump’s comments.