There is no denying the importance of billionaire Elon Musk in American politics as he grows closer to US President-elect Donald Trump. Musk has largely been credited for Trump’s victory in the recent elections, which saw a defeat for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. His support went beyond broadcasting for Trump to over 208 million followers on his social media platform X. He also donated $277 million to back Trump and other Republican candidates.
However, Musk is not done playing kingmaker. Last week, the Financial Times reported that the billionaire was considering donating to Reform UK, a right-wing political party founded by Nigel Farage. A rallying voice behind Brexit, Farage shares ideological views with Trump, especially his staunch anti-immigrant stance.
Elon Musk jumps on the stage during Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler on October 5 (AP/File)
Farage is among the growing list of populist rightwingers that Musk has cosied up to recently. A photo of Farage and his party’s treasurer, Nick Candy, with Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence has stirred British politics. Speaking to FT, Candy said on Sunday the party promises “political disruption like we have never seen before”. He added that Musk was among several other billionaires who back Reform UK.
Nigel Farage’s politics
Farage managed to win a parliamentary seat for the first time in the 2024 UK elections. He had failed in his previous seven attempts. However, he remains an influential figure in UK politics, having a two-decade career in the European Parliament. At the time, he used his position to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. In the 2024 elections, Reform UK dealt a sizeable blow to the Conservative Party, cutting its votes.
One of the key planks of Farage’s party is its anti-immigrant stance. Farage has a clear plan. He advocates that the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights so that asylum-seekers can be deported. He wants to freeze “non-essential immigration”, bar international students from bringing in families to the UK, and push back any refugees illegally arriving on boats to flee war, conflict or poverty.
Farage has also praised Trump’s para-governmental body, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. He said that their plans to sack vast numbers of people was a blueprint for what the UK needed, The Guardian has reported.
Musk, Trump and Farage have also often positioned themselves against “wokism”. Musk in July went on a public rant against his transgender daughter, saying that the “woke mind virus” had killed his son. Similarly, Trump and Farage have spoken against the transgender community.
YES!
pic.twitter.com/FJhC3Mlj6p— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 22, 2024
Musk endorses AfD
On Monday morning, Musk wrote on X, “Only AfD can save Germany,” reiterating his endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. This comes as Germany is headed for snap elections in February. AfD managed to win state elections in Thuringian in September, becoming the first far-right party to secure a victory in the country since World War 2.
Many have criticised Musk’s endorsement of a party that was labelled a suspected extremist group by a German court. AfD members are proponents of extreme nationalism and have challenged the German guilt over the Holocaust. A senior member of the party was found guilty twice for using banned slogans related to the Nazi regime during his speeches.
AfD has voiced staunch opposition to immigrants and advocated for Germany to leave the European Union.
Musk’s growing influence
Musk, who once backed Hilary Clinton’s presidential bid and called Trump “not the right man” for the United States, has had a dramatic shift in his politics.
His leanings towards the right wing, however, are not new. Earlier this year, Musk came under fire from the Brazilian Supreme Court after he refused to follow an order to remove certain accounts of supporters of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. These accounts were accused of spreading disinformation on X. Musk had met Bolsonaro in May 2022.
Recently, Musk’s friendship with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, another far-right leader, was also questioned. Amid the speculation, Meloni was forced to issue a statement on December 18 saying, “I can be a friend of Elon Musk and at the same time the head of the first Italian government that made a new law to regulate private activity in space.” Meloni added that she “did not take orders from anyone”.
The speculation comes close on the heels of a growing clamour in the US over Musk overshadowing the President-elect.
Just last week, Musk was faulted for tanking a bipartisan funding proposal that sought to keep the US federal government afloat till March. He had taken to social media platform X to air his objections to the Bill, which was later endorsed by Trump. The House eventually passed legislation averting a government shutdown on Saturday. Notably, the plan excluded Trump’s demands for raising the government’s borrowing limit, which was opposed by Republicans and Democrats.
Musk has also been accused of influencing Trump’s cabinet picks through his social media posts and has been reportedly sitting in on calls between Trump and foreign leaders.
Even Trump has sat up and noticed the social media chatter which dubbed the X CEO “President Musk”. Addressing the concerns, Trump on Sunday said, “No he’s not taking the Presidency. They are on a new kick… the new one is President Trump has ceded the Presidency to Elon Musk… nah, that’s not happening.”
“No, he’s not going to be President, that I can tell you,” he added. “I am safe, you know why? He can’t be (President). He wasn’t born in this country,” Trump said, ending with a chuckle.
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