Elon Musk has demanded new elections in Britain, promoted Germany’s far-right, and criticized the European Commission. His influence in Europe is growing, and progressives are struggling to contain him.
Musk is the owner of the social media platform X, and with him being very close to the elected US President Donald Trump, he has undoubtedly amassed an unprecedented influence.
He focuses on Europe, where most governments battle the causes of populism and the far-right. A few days back, he posted that Keir Starmer, the British PM, should stand trial for charges leveled against him while he was chief state prosecutor regarding his involvement in a child grooming scandal.
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Musk has also echoed sentiments regarding freeing an extremist hell-raiser, Tommy Robinson, and has voiced support for the anti-immigration party Reform UK, which has its leader in Nigel Farage. On Friday, he published a message from former PM Liz Truss that himself puts June into abolishing the funding of the British Broadcasting Corporation by the state.
According to the polling institute Savanta, Musk’s popularity grows among young British men, more so viewing success and wealth as being tied closely with politics. Mostly, Downing Street ignored the comments made by Musk except for some moments where it took on soft but firm rebukes.
He was called “misjudged and certainly misinformed” by Health Secretary Wes Streeting for his comment but added that the government would work with him to tackle more serious issues. As 2025 opens up, Musk is no longer a scrutinizer commenting on British politics but rather a major player.
This house of punditry, written by political commentator Patrick Maguire, captures the challenge faced by the government in understanding how to cope with venues into which Musk gets a chance to intervene.
He also had a photo-op with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, one of the principal vanguards of the radical right, besides being accused of intervening in German politics by supporting the far-right AfD party.