“Ten years ago, who would have imagined that the owner of one of the world’s largest social media outlets would support a new international reactionary movement and directly intervene in elections in other countries, including Germany,” AFP reported, maqueron, the French president, did not single out American entrepreneur Elon Musk for meddling in European affairs at the annual meeting of French diplomats in Élysée Palace on January 6. On the same day, British Prime Minister Stamer criticized Musk at a press conference for spreading “Lies and false information” and his remarks “Have crossed the line.”. On platform x last week, Elon Musk called on Stamer to resign, saying he had failed to properly handle a large-scale sexual exploitation case involving underage girls while he was a prosecutor. On Friday, German Chancellor Scholtz accused musk of supporting the far-right AFD party. French Foreign Minister Jean-claude Barrow Republican Party Friday to Discipline Musk, French Radio Internationale said, calling on him to “Blindly support the European far-right forces with long arms.”.
French President Maqueron attended the event on the 6th, the American entrepreneur Musk’s recent attacks to counter. (AFP)
Germany: “Fear of Musk”
Next month’s German Bundestag elections will be followed by the selection of a new chancellor. Mr Elon Musk has repeatedly attacked Scholtz, the German chancellor, at a sensitive time. In the 2024 of the December Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, Elon Musk said Scholtz should “Resign immediately”. Musk, meanwhile, has written in support of the afd, calling it Germany’s“Last spark of Hope”. It is also reported that musk will hold a live video-link conversation with the party’s chairman, Elise Weidl, on January 9, which will be broadcast around the world.
“Don’t feed the diatribes,” the British newspaper The Guardian said, Schultz told the German media on the 4th that these criticisms are nothing new, “You must remain calm”, “I think what is more worrying than this insult is that Elon Musk is supporting parties like the afd, which is partly right-wing extremism that preaches reconciliation with Russia and wants to weaken the Transatlantic relations,” he said. “I don’t think we should try to please musk,” Scholtz added, “In a country where things depend on the will of citizens, not the words of American billionaires.”
Meanwhile, Harbeck, the deputy chancellor, told Der Spiegel that he hoped Mr Elon Musk would “Stay out of German democracy”. In his previous New Year’s address on social media, he said Musk’s support for the afd was part of his strategy to weaken Europe, which he hoped would become politically and regulatory weak.
The Guardian says Musk has provoked anger in Germany by meddling in the political affairs of Europe’s largest economy. The strong performance of the afd, which came in second before the general election, could complicate the formation of a government, as mainstream parties have ruled out co-operation with the party at the state or federal level. German magazine focus said an online article by entrepreneur Philipp Schroeder had attracted a lot of attention. He warned that if musk got serious, the afd would get 30% of the vote in the general election.
German weekly Der Spiegel lamented on the 5th that the economic downturn, problems with the Bundeswehr and the German railway had become a laughing stock, “But the main Bundestag elections of the campaign is the fear of billionaire musk.”. It is Deutschlandradio that musk is forging links with European rightwing populists and reaping economic benefits through political influence.
Musk’s interference in the German election has angered many Germans, the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung said Saturday. But this is just another chapter in the growing-up saga of generations of Germans with America after 1945. “The german-n friendship seems to have evaporated and to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur, the relationship with the biggest European economic power is worthless, Donald Trump is not a Berliner and neither is Elon Musk.”
French foreign minister shouts: Control Musk
Barrow, French Foreign Minister, responded to Musk’s political comments in a joint interview with French media. “Everyone has the right to hold their own positions, but they have special significance when one is involved or intends to be involved in government affairs,” Barrow said, such propaganda interferes with the electoral process in Germany, which is certainly very regrettable; if it is intended to support far-right parties, then the Republican Party needs to make clear whether it is willing to associate its fate with such a “Party associated with neo-nazi ideology”. After all, the afd represents everything the Republicans have always opposed.
Asked about the possibility of shutting down social media platforms as a result, Barrow responded that the French had pushed for the world’s toughest social media regulations. The rules were adopted in 2022 during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union and are now in force. Under the rules, social media platforms must actively combat disinformation and prevent any act that undermines public debate, or face steep fines of up to 6 per cent of a company’s turnover. In extreme cases, these platforms could even be banned from the EU market.
The 53-year-old Elon Musk is not only a successful American entrepreneur, he is also an influential opinion leader, with more than 200m followers on Platform X, according to the newspaper. In 2022, he bought the original Twitter platform and renamed it“X”, making it even more freewheeling. In Europe, Musk’s personal influence is growing. He is popular among young British men, according to Savanta, a pollster. Analysts say this reflects a growing mix of perceptions of success and wealth and political attitudes.
Britain: feeling“Upside-down politics”
Musk’s criticism of the British government reached a“New height” on the 6th. According to CNBC News, Musk launched a poll on his X account that day asking“Whether the United States should free the British people from their tyrannical government.”. The US technology tycoon has attacked the Labour government for days over its handling of a historic child abuse scandal and called for Stamer to be removed from power and jailed, the report said.
Asked about Musk’s comments on the 6th, Stamer said that child sexual exploitation is extremely disgusting, “But people who spread lies and misinformation — they’re not interested in the victim, they’re interested in themselves.”
The British government is increasingly aware of the upside-down politics of the coming Donald Trump era and spent the weekend grappling with Elon Musk’s criticism of British political affairs, the BBC said yesterday. Musk on Friday accused Oriana Fallaci of being “Incapable” of leading the party, but offered no explanation. It was a 180-degree reversal, since musk, while criticising the Labour government, had praised Oriana Fallaci, saying only the reform party could “Save” the country. In an interview just hours before Musk’s article, Oriana Fallaci called him a “Friend.”. They also recently met at mar-a-lago in Donald Trump, where Oriana Fallaci announced that musk might donate to his party.
British Prime Minister Stamer attended the event on the 6th, the American entrepreneur Musk’s recent attacks to counter. (AFP)
Oriana Fallaci was “Surprised” by Musk’s comments yesterday. He said Musk’s support for Robinson, North Dakota, the British far-right activist, had divided the two men and that “I would never betray my principles”.
“Even Oriana Fallaci is not radical enough for musk,” the German newspaper Le Monde said Saturday, adding that musk not only wants to shake up American and German politics, but is also involved in British domestic affairs. “Musk has fuelled opposition to labour. He wants a revolution in Europe.”
“Just the beginning.”
Those who have not been“Meddled” by musk are also worried. According to Reuters, “I think it’s worrisome that someone with so much social media influence and economic resources should be so directly involved in the internal affairs of other countries,” Norwegian prime minister St?re St?re told Norwegian public broadcaster NPR on Sunday, if Elon Musk were to get involved in Norwegian politics, the country’s politicians should take a stand and distance themselves from it.
According to Euronext, Elon Musk is spreading his influence in Europe at a time when many governments are under pressure from populism and the rise of the far right. Musk’s platform for far-right German politics, his vitriol of the European Commission and his desire for a new British general election are only the beginning. What about musk? Or should I say musk? European progressives are struggling with this. Musk’s close ties to Donald Trump are giving the world’s richest man unprecedented leverage for his meddling in European politics. An opinion piece published in the times on the 3rd stated bluntly that musk is no longer just an angry commentator but a powerful player in British politics at the beginning of 2025.
According to Politico’s European edition, Elon Musk is a “Chameleon” and one of the most well-connected people in global politics. European governments have yet to find a good way to deal with him. Some European leaders have tried to curry favour with musk, hoping not to become a target of Elon Musk’s criticism, but also to get closer to Donald Trump. A former British government adviser said: “Musk is a chameleon and you don’t know what colour he will display. He is a dangerous man. It is not in your interest to be Musk’s enemy.”
“Musk hijacks international politics,” the Washington Post said Friday, citing his recent actions as a sign that Donald Trump may try to intervene more directly in foreign affairs when he takes office.