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America did not elect Elon Musk. Yet he serves as Donald Trump’s de facto co-president. Musk’s self-appointed remit includes regime change in allied democracies. He has repeatedly said that only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) can save Germany in next month’s elections. He is calling for the end of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labor government in the UK. And he asked his 211 million X followers that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”. The consensus seems to be yes.
To say there is no precedent would be an understatement such a relationship Among the presidents of America and the richest men in the world. History gives no guidance on such a duet, half of which meant open fire to overthrow an allied government. America’s robber barons – the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Carnegies – did not serve as co-equals with the presidents of their time. Nor did their illusory wealth compare with musk. JPMorgan was worth $49 billion in today’s dollars. Henry Ford, who also had a soft spot for European fascism, was worth close to $200 billion. Musk’s wealth is more than double that. Ford did not admire his White House contemporary Franklin Roosevelt.
In contrast, there are examples of America interfering in the politics of other countries in the past. However, aside from the CIA’s postwar strategies to keep communists out of power in continental Europe, Washington’s intervention excluded the Allies. The question soon facing governments in Berlin, London and perhaps Paris is how to respond to this novel threat. Is Musk speaking for Trump? In that case, the West is as good as dead. Or is he testing the waters? This would give Western capitals an opportunity to exploit the differences between Trump and Musk. The answer is probably a mixture of the two.
Just as significant is what Musk isn’t saying. As he Bombed Germany and the UK abusivelyMusk’s silence on Russia and China speaks louder. Kasturi never spoke in favor of political prisoners or against that dictatorial regime. Yet he enthroned Tommy Robinson, a far-right British thug serving his fifth prison sentence as a prisoner of conscience. It’s safe to say that Musk is not motivated by philanthropy towards English children who are victims of gangs of mostly British-Pakistani men. The UK’s child grooming scandal dates back more than two decades, almost entirely while a Conservative government was in power. Kasturi had nothing to say then.
Since Labor came to power, the welfare of England’s children has suddenly become its obsession. He called Jess Phillips, a minister in the Starmer government, “a rape genocide apologist”. He also claims that a quarter of British children are being systematically abused. You’ll need an AI-scale polygraph to capture all the confusion in the mask. At a rate of one every few minutes, the velocity of his posts is only surpassed by their shock value. Musk did not express concern anywhere Approximately 20,000 Ukrainian children They were abducted from their homes and forcibly adopted into Russian families.
Had this movement been Musk’s alone, Britain, Germany and others could have handled it. The British public’s dislike of Musk limits his influence. According to a recent YouGov poll, less than one in five British respondents view him favourably. Kasturi is also annoyed at his ignorance. In calling for the removal of Nigel Farage as leader of the right-wing Reform UK Party, he misses the fact that Reform is Farage’s personal vehicle. Musk’s call for King Charles to dissolve Parliament reinforces questions about his ignorance. Elected governments, not monarchs, choose when to call UK general elections. Musk influence in Germany – and knowledge about it – may be even less.
Musk’s silence on China is easy to understand. His Tesla company has big operations there that he doesn’t want to risk. Trump’s default approach to the world is transactional; His China policy remains up for grabs. In contrast, Musk magnifies Trump’s admiration for Vladimir Putin’s Russia and hatred of Europe. It would be wild to assume that Musk was just trolling. Nor is it just about money. The Trump-Musk hatred of European liberal democracies is real. He shares Trump’s impatience to end the Ukraine war on terms that could end in Russia’s favor. The AfD has pledged to end Germany’s support for Ukraine. Starmer increased British support.
The eastern side of the Atlantic alliance thus faced a journey without a map. The habit of Europe is always to hope for the best. On this occasion it should be planned for the worst.
