Elon Musk's political games: Backing far‑right in Europe

The latest antics of the billionaire include attacks on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the announcement of potential, possibly financial, support for Nigel Farage's far-right Reform UK party. This is the same Farage who co-authored the campaign for Brexit. Musk also supported, just weeks before the parliamentary elections, the German far-right party AfD, called for Olaf Scholz to step down, and insulted the chancellor with posts on the X service, reports Axios.

The man, who is considered the right-hand of the future US president, attacks the leaders of countries that are America's most important allies, emphasizes the portal.

"Starmer was complicit in the RAPE OF BRITAIN" (original spelling) - Musk announced on X, referring to the investigation into the rape gangs. "Starmer must go and he must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain," he added. In an interview with Axios, he mentioned he is exploring legal options for funding the Reform UK party campaign, but American "Newsweek" cites another statement where Musk announced he might invest over 157 million dollars in Farage's group.

Farage himself informed the "Daily Telegraph" that Musk would fund his party.

Regarding Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Musk wrote on X that he is an "insufferable fool," after which he shared with his fans an interview with the Prime Minister's rival, conservative politician Pierre Poilievre.

"The Economist" reminds us that when Musk decided to support the AfD in Germany and called this party the "only hope of the country," Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU and a candidate for chancellor, said: "I can’t remember a comparable case of interference in the election campaign of a friendly country in the history of the Western democracies."

The billionaire's posts on his X service about German politicians are "childishly offensive," according to the British weekly. He called President Frank-Walter Steinmeier an "anti-democratic tyrant," and referred to the chancellor as "Oaf Schtiz."

As Axios assesses, since Musk gained significant influence in the incoming American administration, he tries to use it in both domestic and foreign policy. So much so that Republican congressmen have started calling him "prime minister."

There is concern because the billionaire has threatened congressmen who oppose him by promising to finance their rivals' campaigns during the Congressional elections. This is a very strong incentive for Republicans to comply with his demands, writes Axios.

The "New Yorker" magazine described spring campaigns conducted by Silicon Valley billionaire-backed Super PAC organizations, which dashed the electoral chances of candidates reluctant to them for Congress or state authorities.

The scale of Musk's financial capabilities is highlighted in "Forbes" rankings. The value of his fortune increased in 2024 and has reached 421 billion dollars. The gap between the richest person in the world and the second on the list, Jeff Bezos (233 billion dollars), has grown to a historic record - 188 billion dollars. No one before Elon Musk has been worth 300 billion dollars, let alone 400 billion, emphasizes "Forbes."

Renowned American historian Timothy Snyder warned in an interview with "The Guardian" that Trump’s camp should be concerned about the role Musk is beginning to play and the scale of his influence.

Now that the president-elect has announced that regarding aid to Ukraine, the White House will pursue a new policy and there is a fear that it will "heavily favor Vladimir Putin and Russia," Snyder believes we should pay attention to who has a voice in Trump's administration, writes "The Guardian."

I think we overestimate Trump and we underestimate Musk, said the historian.

According to Snyder, the White House will become the scene of a serious confrontation between the president and his most powerful ally. However, on the other hand, Musk is essential to Trump because he will finance his projects.

A lot of smart Russia hands are saying this all the time: this is kind of like the 1990s in Russia. You have the doddering, rich-but-not-very-rich president [Boris Yeltsin], surrounded by more youthful, more active, ambitious oligarchs. That’s the kind of scenario [America is] in, warned Snyder.

Bill Kristol, a writer and commentator, one of America's most famous neoconservatives, wrote in the summer that billionaires like Musk are the "new oligarchs," who supported Trump to be able to control the government, which threatens America's political order.