Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli occupation army: A sergeant from the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion was killed in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Israeli media: The government has approved the agreement that includes the release of hostages and Palestinian detainees amid divisions within the ministerial council.
European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre: The earthquake hit at a depth of 58 kilometers, warning of potentially hazardous tsunami waves.
European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes the Mindanao region in the Philippines.
Cuban Foreign Ministry: The clear objective of this escalation is to overthrow the constitutional government of President Nicolás Maduro and install a Washington-aligned authority.
Cuban Foreign Ministry: We warn against the growing escalation by the United States against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Venezuela's request comes in response to the escalation of aggression and the unprecedented US military deployment in the Caribbean.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Venezuelan government has officially requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli artillery shells the northwest of Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: The ceasefire has come into effect.

Elon Musk's influence stirs up European politics: WSJ

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Wall Street Journal
  • 7 Jan 2025 16:05
7 Min Read

Trump's ally has inundated X with posts targeting European politicians, creating a diplomatic challenge for the continent's leaders.

Listen
  • x
  • Elon Musk speaks after president-elect Donald Trump spoke during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, November 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP)
    Elon Musk speaks after Donald Trump spoke during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, November 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP)

Elon Musk is shaking up Europe’s political arena with a wave of provocative commentary on contentious topics like immigration and free speech. His interventions have presented European governments with a complex challenge, as they grapple with the tech billionaire's growing influence and his emerging role as a key advisor to the incoming Trump administration. According to a recent piece by The Wall Street Journal, Musk’s actions are reshaping political dynamics across the continent, drawing attention to the intersection of technology, power, and governance.

In recent weeks, Musk has posted a string of inflammatory messages on X, the platform he owns, targeting European politics. His posts include backing a far-right party ahead of Germany’s elections, accusing the British prime minister of complicity in rape, criticizing Italian judges, and attacking the European Commission.

Europe's diplomatic headache

This barrage of commentary from the world’s richest man has turned into a diplomatic headache, leaving mainstream European political parties scrambling, as per the piece.

With Donald Trump’s inauguration just weeks away, many European leaders are hesitant to confront Musk directly, fearing it could strain relations with the Trump administration or provoke Musk into escalating his criticism.

However, Musk’s repeated posts to his 211 million followers are dominating news cycles across multiple countries, forcing leaders to address the controversies. Europe's increasingly unpopular political class is particularly concerned that Musk might leverage X to rally disillusioned voters, as slow economic growth continues to weaken trust in traditional politics and fuel instability.

POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme https://t.co/OkZ6YS3u2P

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024

“Ten years ago, if someone had told us the owner of one of the world’s biggest social-media companies would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany, who would have imagined that?” French President Emmanuel Macron remarked to ambassadors on Monday.

Oh like that time Starmer called @realDonaldTrump a racist and said the British government should do everything to stop him?

Or when Starmer sent British Labour Party members to campaign in the US against President Trump this year?https://t.co/5R28WgZIj0 https://t.co/S3cjV27Woi

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025

Musk’s influence grows, with concerns over the impact on upcoming elections

Musk’s direct and confrontational approach to foreign affairs, as per the piece, underscores the challenge that US allies will face as they navigate the upcoming Trump presidency. During Trump’s previous time in office, foreign governments had to contend with his unpredictable late-night social media posts. Now, they must also contend with Musk’s influence.

In a recent press conference, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spent much of the time addressing Musk's criticisms of his record on jailing child rapists during his tenure as the U.K.'s chief prosecutor over a decade ago. Although Starmer stated he was “not going to individualize this to Elon Musk or anyone else,” he took several minutes to defend his record and denounce those “spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible.”

Related News

JP Morgan mandates biometric scans at new NYC HQ

Trump to bar Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on US routes

Ahead of Starmer's appearance, Musk pinned a message to the top of his X feed stating: “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.” Starmer declined to comment on this particular post.

While European politicians and business leaders frequently comment on US politics, especially to criticize Trump, few have any real influence over US voters. However, political strategists are concerned that Musk could alter the political landscape by using his X platform to actively campaign for parties he supports.

In Germany, some strategists and politicians fear Musk's personal opinions may influence the general election in February. Musk previously called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool” and has recently backed the far-right AfD party. This week, he is hosting a live chat on X with AfD co-chair Alice Weidel and wrote an op-ed in a major German newspaper, calling her party “the last spark of hope for this country.”

Controversial political interventions

In 2019, Steve Bannon, former strategist to Trump, attempted to create a network of right-wing parties ahead of the EU parliament elections, but with limited success. Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told WSJ that Musk could prove more effective by focusing on domestic European elections and leveraging his social media platform. Torreblanca commented, “He sees himself as a savior of U.S. democracy from the progressives… He thinks this should not stop at home and that it should continue in Europe.”

However, Musk faces challenges. In Britain, for instance, only 26% of people have a positive view of him, the same approval rating as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to pollster YouGov. Additionally, the number of daily users on X has decreased from 10.3 million in May 2022 to 8.6 million in May 2024, according to Ofcom. X’s own figures show a decline of around 5 million active users across the EU between October 2023 and summer 2024.

The EU Commission, the bloc's executive branch, announced on Monday that it is considering expanding its investigation into X to include Musk's livestream with Germany's AfD. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated, “You’re free to express your views, but there are certain limits to that.” Musk has previously stated that he would challenge any EU findings against X in court. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, the Commission can impose fines up to 6% of global revenue.

Given Musk’s leadership of multiple companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, and his role in co-chairing the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, some European officials are surprised by his focus on European domestic affairs.

In Germany, Daniel Tapp, spokesperson for the AfD's Alice Weidel, mentioned that the party had been in contact with Musk’s team before last year’s European elections, requesting documents about the AfD platform. However, the endorsement in December was unexpected.

Musk has been particularly critical of Britain. Over the weekend, his X feed was filled with Islamophobic posts criticizing Starmer for not doing enough to prosecute gangs, "mostly composed of Muslim men of Pakistani descent, who groomed and raped over a thousand young girls in towns across Britain more than a decade ago". 

💯 https://t.co/saWihciIJr

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2025

Starmer defended his record, stating that he reopened closed cases related to the child grooming rings and reformed how such crimes were prosecuted when he was chief prosecutor.

Could what happened to the Yazidi people one day happen to Europe?

https://t.co/TIoCJbnRos

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2025

Additionally, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist imprisoned in Britain for contempt of court after making false claims about a Syrian refugee. Musk’s disagreement with Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform party, escalated over the weekend when Farage refused to support Robinson's potential membership in Reform.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stands out as one of the few Western European leaders whom Elon Musk admires. The two have met multiple times since Meloni assumed power in late 2022. She aligns more closely with Musk’s extremist views on issues like immigration, declining birthrates, and "wokeism" compared to many of her European counterparts.

In a recent interview with Corriere della Sera, Meloni remarked that while she occasionally disagrees with Musk, “It makes me laugh how people who until yesterday hailed Musk as a genius now depict him as a monster, just because he chose what is considered the ‘wrong’ side of the barricades.”

  • United States
  • Europe
  • Elon Musk
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
The Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza showed that after combating Israeli aggression for two years, they remain victorious in the face of oppression (Mahdi Rteil/Al Mayadeen English)

Al-Aqsa Flood two years on, a tale of victory

  • Politics
  • 6 Oct 2025
President Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump sets record-low refugee cap in new immigration policy shift

  • Politics
  • 4 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Trump to bar Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on US routes
Politics

Trump to bar Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on US routes

China to impose port fees on US vessels, responding to US tariffs.
Economy

China to impose port fees on US vessels, responding to US tariffs

US-backed Machado wins Nobel as tensions escalate in Caribbean
Politics

US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

Workers are seen at the venue prepared for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Sports

Indonesia bars Israeli athletes from Jakarta gymnastics event

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS