OPINION:
Elon Musk, billionaire, entrepreneur, part-time meme lord and now apparently self-appointed monarch of international politics, has again managed to set the internet (and a handful of world leaders) ablaze.
From calling for King Charles III to dissolve the U.K. Parliament to endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party while throwing the U.K.’s Nigel Farage under the Tesla bus, Mr. Musk has been busy. Somewhere between launching rockets and engaging with every critic on his social platform, he’s taken up a new hobby: meddling in global democracy.
First there’s Britain, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer has aptly labeled Mr. Musk’s X tirades as “spreading lies and misinformation.” Mr. Musk, wielding the power of his social platform, decided it was time to stir the pot. He’s dredging up scandals such as a talk-show guest with a grudge and throwing terms such as “pure evil” and “wicked creature” at U.K. officials with such gusto that one could mistake it for another episode of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
As if that weren’t dramatic enough, Mr. Musk went so far as to suggest that the king “dissolve parliament and order new elections.” Because when you’re confused about global politics, there’s nothing like summoning the monarchy for a 21st-century “Game of Thrones” moment.
But Mr. Musk didn’t stop at Mr. Starmer or his safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips. Nope. He swerved right over to Mr. Farage, calling for his replacement as leader of the Reform UK party. Mr. Farage, stunned by the betrayal, had called Mr. Musk a “friend” mere hours before. Ouch. That’s the diplomatic equivalent of offering someone a handshake and then pulling away at the last minute with a hair swoop.
Mr. Farage asserts that the falling-out is over Mr. Musk’s alleged coziness with far-right activist Tommy Robinson. But Mr. Musk has given no explanation, leaving us all to fill in the blanks of this melodrama like writers of fan fiction.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s prodigal boss in Germany has ruffled an entire nation’s feathers by endorsing the AfD as “the country’s last vestige of hope.” Yes, because what Germany — armed with a history textbook stocked with “what not to do” — needs is a billionaire pouring rocket fuel on contentious politics.
Unsurprisingly, Germany is not amused. From the Green Party’s stern warnings of “hands off our democracy, Mr. Musk!” to witty retorts labeling his opinions “pretentious,” Mr. Musk has found himself in international hot water quicker than a Ferrari on the Autobahn.
Even France’s Emmanuel Macron couldn’t resist weighing in on Mr. Musk’s globe-trotting mischief — though, in true French form, he did so with an elegance that highlights his diplomatic chops. The French president, speaking to ambassadors, lamented that the world’s richest man had apparently pivoted to supporting a “new international reactionary movement.”
Of course, Mr. Macron didn’t name-drop Mr. Musk directly. Instead, like a subtweet wrapped in a fine Bordeaux, he mused how odd it is that billionaires with too much free time are intervening in elections.
“Ten years ago, who would never 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,” Mr. Macron said in a speech.
No one knows what he’s up to, but Mr. Musk seems intent on building his new, bizarre resume as a modern-day Zeus of online chaos. And while he has every right to promote his opinions from his thrones of Tesla and SpaceX, perhaps he’s reached the point where someone should slip him a Post-it note that reads, “Stay in your lane.”
But Mr. Musk is already tired of meddling in U.S. politics. He is getting at least some credit for President-elect Donald Trump’s win, and while he may love all the attention, the notably narcissistic Mr. Trump is anything but happy. Privately, he seems to be tired of Mr. Musk dropping in whenever he feels like it.
“Trump does complain a bit to people about how Musk is around a lot,” New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said on tech reporter Kara Swisher’s podcast. “He really parked himself in Trump’s face,” Ms. Haberman said, noting that Mr. Musk has been staying in a $2,000-per-night cottage at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
“I think a bunch of people around him are also struggling with how aggressive Musk can be in their interactions,” Ms. Haberman said.
Maybe Mr. Musk is just looking for a new playground. And when you’re worth nearly half a trillion dollars, everyone on the playground has to pretend to be your friend.
• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on X @josephcurl.
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