As a business giant and the richest man in the world, Elon Musk influences the entire global economy. It is now leveraging that success to extend its influence into the democratic process in Canada and elsewhere.
In the past week alone, Musk has delved into Canadian politics on his social media platform several times; supporting the Tory Leader Pierre Polievre, showering him with praise, reposting his tweets and praising his speeches and media interaction.
At the same time, he has mocked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about it to resignborrowing president-elect Donald Trump's language to refer to him as “governor.” He is even known as Trudeau the msgid “Unstable device.”
The impact campaign began in 2022 when it bought Twitter, renaming it X and rolling back rules governing content moderation and disinfection. Describing the move as a defense of free speech, Musk quickly pushed back against Canadian influencer Jordan Peterson and Donald Trump's presidential accounts.
He then spent more than $200 million supporting Trump's successful campaign to regain the US presidency.
His reward? A position in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency that Trump is proposing, and, perhaps more importantly, the ear of the president.
Despite more than 210 million followers on his own platform, and Trump's friendship, Musk seems to want more ears than Trump's, and he's stepping in political debates around the world.
“It's about positioning yourself on the world stage as a thought leader, in inverted curves, who can rise above politics but align with it when it suits him,” said Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.
“I think with Musk (his bid) is in line with what he sees as political movements around the world that share the libertarian anti-state, anti-regulation media ideology, the – legacy face,” Chadwick told CBC News.
Chadwick says Pledge to restore Polievre The Liberal government's online harm legislation, which Tories say is too broad and threatens to antagonize free expression, appeals to Musk, who he describes as a “mogul ideological platform.”
Christopher Cochrane, a professor of political science from the University of Toronto, believes that it may just be a “secret” to get Musk to enter political debates at home and abroad.
“It's kind of amazing that he was able to buy an entire social media network, almost like another universe, and turn it into his own playground and place to promote his political views,” said e.
“Just like he was able to figure out electric cars and build a successful rocket company … he's just discovered another area that other people aren't smart enough or brave enough or bold enough to enough or whatever will solve it,” Cochrane said. “There's kind of an element of hubris in that.”
To be fair to Musk, Cochrane says “it would be hard not to be overconfident when you've had success with PayPal and Tesla and SpaceX and everything else.”
Cochrane explained that Musk has been so successful in gaining traction, not just because he is rich, but because people believe that his success naturally translates into other areas. .
“Of course there are people who have very high levels of political sophistication who know nothing about rockets and electric cars, and there are certainly a lot of people who know a lot about rockets and electric cars who have absolutely no political sophistication. especially high,” Cochrane said. “That's what's happening here.”
Chadwick has been keeping a close eye on Musk in recent months as the X owner has begun to step into British politics, first backing Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, and then in the last few days. turning against him when Farage refused to support far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
He says that when it comes to Musk's interest in Canada, his posts on X are closely linked to Trump's views and the attacks that the president has directed at his northern neighbor.
“It's important to see this as part of an alignment between Musk's interests as a media owner, a platform owner and the Trump administration,” he said.
Chadwick says the irony of Musk's editorial positions is that when social media platforms emerged, the founders argued that they should not be held to the same standards as media organizations.
“However, here we have an owner of a platform with 210 million followers who is now very willing to use that platform to amplify his own personal political views,” he said.
In Germany, Musk has supported the leader of the far-right party for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, who is a strong critic of multiculturalism. Some famous AfD members have been ostrich for not forgetting the war crimes of the Nazis.
Last year a German court declared the AfD an official terrorist suspect, allowing German security services to continue monitoring their activities and communications.
Musk has been accused in Germany of having installed it in the upcoming elections in that country on February 23rd for endorsing the AfD and promising to hold a live interview on X with Weidel on January 9th.
The Stream21:11Why is Elon Musk involved in world politics?
Elon Musk recently pushed the false claim that the UK Prime Minister is “deeply involved in mass rape,” and suggested that the country needs to be bailed out by the U.S. That's just one example of how the billionaire technical using his position and influence to intervene. international politics – what is its end?
Cochrane says, in contrast, Musk's interest in Canada has been much more immature.
“He commands an incredibly large stage and has a very large audience. And for Canada things are not going very well, so if he is focusing here on the promotion of Pierre Poilievre that is not the worst thing he could be doing,” said Cochrane.
