Elon Musk earned the status of ‘wealthiest man in the world’ in September 2021, and has maintained this title up to the present day. However, his transition from entrepreneur to a newfound involvement in US politics could prove detrimental to not only American democracy, but democracy across the globe.
Musk became the CEO of the electric vehicle company Tesla in 2008, after a four-year period of investing in the company. Although a large share of Musk’s wealth stemmed from this contribution, his status as a millionaire was granted long before this: in 1999, at the age of 27, Musk sold an internet application company for over $300 million, or £237 million. However, it is safe to say that his ownership of Tesla, combined with his role as the co-founder of six other companies (including SpaceX and X, formerly Twitter), sky-rocketed his fortune, transforming him into a global force. Today, at the age of 53, Musk’s net worth of $397 billion (£314 billion), according to Forbes, has allowed him to build a platform where he is able to influence a range of industries around the world: for example, he has made headlines for his human brain chip trials at Neuralink, and his focus on the introduction of artificial intelligence to daily life.
However, in recent years, Musk’s economic domination has turned political, escalating due to his support of Donald Trump in the 2024 US Presidential Election. Despite describing himself as a ‘centralist’ in the past, supporting both Barack Obama from 2008-2012 and Joe Biden in 2020, and even donating to Hilary Clinton’s Democrat campaign in 2016, his personal political views have tended further towards the right wing in recent years; his policies have become libertarian, and some say his moderate stance has turned to the extremes. Evidence of this deflection was first seen in 2022, when, during midterm elections, he encouraged people to vote for Republicans in order to counter the Democrat presidency. Following from this change in attitude, he made claims that Democrats posed a threat to free speech, and that this would cause a ‘battle for the future of civilisation’.
President Trump was inaugurated on 20th January 2025, and swiftly after, on 3rd February 2025, Elon Musk was granted the title of a ‘special government employee’.
This status came as a result of Musk’s enormous funding towards the Republican campaign in the run-up to the election, as well as his exploitation of his platform, X, in order to promote ‘Make America Great Again’ propaganda. This system of ‘cash for honours’, where political donations from individual donors are rewarded with positions in government, (despite these donors being unelected and often without political expertise), could be seen as one of the most prominent symbols of corruption in modern democracies – and yet, many fear that Musk has been able to infiltrate the US Federal Government with alarmingly little resistance! If he is able to attain political power so easily in a country that flaunts its global domination in regards to political influence, what is stopping Musk from impacting democracies around the world?
Another friendship has recently blossomed across borders, which may prove to be politically advantageous to Elon Musk: this is the newfound camaraderie between Musk and Nigel Farage, leader of the British political party Reform UK. This originated from their close alliance during Trump’s campaign, where they shared similar political values regarding immigration and patriotism, as well as Musk’s disparagement of the ‘woke’ Labour party. Despite reports in January of Musk calling for Farage to be replaced as leader of the party, Farage has since claimed he wants to ‘mend these fences’, with discussions involving a potential donation from the billionaire to the Reform party. Their disagreement allegedly stemmed from Musk’s encouragement for the release of Tommy Robinson, a right-wing extremist who made false claims against a Syrian refugee – Farage refused Musk’s request, causing the fallout. Farage has attempted to make steps to repair this bond, fearful that a lack of support from Musk would not only remove a potential source of funding for the party, but would also limit support from younger voters who idolise the prominent US figurehead. However, Farage has still claimed that the severance of ties between his party and the billionaire may prove to be ultimately beneficial to Reform, with a smaller appetite for Musk’s libertarian views present in the UK in comparison to the US; Musk’s infiltration into UK politics is not yet set in stone, and is unlikely to continue without some level of scrutiny.
Throughout his career, the CEO of Tesla has been embroiled in numerous scandals, and since he grew more involved in politics, the number of headlines regarding his most recent controversies have only increased.
Most notably, during a post-inauguration rally on 20th January 2025 in Washington DC., after thanking Republican supporters, Musk proudly raised his arm in a Nazi salute. Despite claims from the Anti-Defamation League that this gesture was both innocently intended and spontaneous, Musk faced a barrage of backlash globally, with people referring to Musk as a symbol of modern-day fascism.
These allegations of fascism have continued to follow Musk, with the public paying close attention to his tweets on X, where he promoted the anti-immigrant ‘Great Replacement Theory’ – a conspiracy theory involving claims that the left wing was attempting to replace white Europeans and Americans with the ‘inferior stock’ of Asia, Africa, and South America. Additionally, Musk has been accused of utilising Twitter to makes jokes about Adolf Hitler, to share fake news stories (he shared a fabricated article made to look like it was taken from the Daily Telegraph), and further far-right ideas.
But how could this affect you?
Elon Musk’s potential to impact each and every one of us cannot go understated. His political domination as Trump’s adviser may not just make a difference to the lives of American citizens: his reign could extend across borders, leaving no continent untouched by his influence. His role as a foreign donor in UK politics due to his involvement in the Reform party could lead to him gaining undue power in British democracy, despite not being affected himself by the changes to UK politics that he may be able to make. His attempts to introduce so-called fascist, far-right ideas into current politics could dramatically impact our world – Musk’s reign has the potential transform politics across the globe!
Sofia Riaz 12A