- French President Emmanuel Macron accuses Elon Musk of meddling in European politics.
- Musk’s support for far-right parties and attacks on left-wing politicians have sparked concern.
- Musk’s influence on voters is limited, according to a German government spokesperson.
- The situation raises questions about the role of social media and billionaires in politics.
In a recent development that has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, of meddling in the continent’s democratic processes. This criticism comes in the wake of Musk’s controversial posts supporting far-right political parties and attacking left-wing politicians in Europe. Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, is a close ally of Donald Trump. He has reportedly spent over $250m to help Trump get re-elected and has been asked by the incoming US president to serve as a special adviser to cut the federal budget.
Macron, in a speech to French ambassadors, expressed his concern over Musk’s political interventions. He said, Ten years ago, who would have imagined that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would be supporting a new international reactionary movement and intervening directly in elections, including in Germany. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre echoed Macron’s sentiments, expressing his concern over Musk’s direct involvement in the internal affairs of other countries. He said, This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies. Støre also expressed hope that Norwegian politicians would distance themselves from such efforts.
Musk’s Influence and the Response
In Germany, a government spokesperson mentioned Musk by name, insisting that his influence on voters was limited. The spokesperson said, We act as if Mr Musk’s Twitter statements could influence a country of 84 million people with untruths or half-truths or expressions of opinion. This is simply not the case. This statement came after Berlin accused Musk of trying to influence the country’s federal elections with a controversial guest opinion piece for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
Musk’s support for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has been a point of contention. He is due to take part in a livestreamed hour-long chat with the party’s leader, Alice Weidel, on X. Musk has claimed that the party, running second in the polls, is the last spark of hope for Germany. He has also called the country’s Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, a fool and its president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, an anti-democratic tyrant.
In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended his record after days of hostile attacks from Musk. Musk’s tirade focused on child sexual abuse scandals that first emerged during Starmer’s tenure as director of public prosecutions. Responding to a question about Musk, Starmer said he was “not going to individualise this to Elon Musk” but added “a line has been crossed” with some of the criticism.
Historical Context and Global Implications
In a historical context, this is not the first time a foreign billionaire has been accused of meddling in the political affairs of other countries. However, the scale and directness of Musk’s interventions, facilitated by his ownership of a major social media platform, are unprecedented. This situation raises important questions about the role and influence of social media in politics, the power of billionaires in shaping public opinion, and the vulnerability of democratic processes to external influences.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation amid slumping polls and internal division. Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, has been facing his worst political crisis since becoming premier. His minority government had been held up by a deal with the left-wing New Democratic Party but in December the NDP said they would vote to topple Trudeau at the next opportunity.
In the US, Congress convened to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory in a smooth and orderly process, in stark contrast to four years ago when throngs of Trump’s supporters breached security barriers at the U.S. Capitol and stormed the building to try to overturn the 2020 election results.