Musk’s fanciful election claims on X (illegal immigrants voting and fake pictures of Kamala Harris) were viewed an estimated 2 billion times.
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For his support, Trump has promised Musk a role as future leader of something called the “Department of Government Efficiency” (initials: “DOGE”, one of Musk’s favourite memes) that will eliminate thousands of jobs in government.
If you follow Musk on X, you can see how his posts reflect his adolescent sense of humour, but also a need to insert himself into the viral story of the day — such as replying to Taylor Swift’s Harris endorsement.
Wealth and cheesy memes aside, the personality of Musk raises the question of how vulnerable he could be to malign influence from foreign leaders, especially in a second term Trump White House likely to be defined by deal-making.
The Wall Street Journal last month reported that Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the man actively working to weaken Western democracy, routinely speaks with Musk.
Maybe that explains why Musk has amplified the Kremlin’s talking points on Ukraine, or advocates for the Moscow’s “peace deal” with Kyiv.
Fiona Hill, the former White House Russia expert, told Politico in 2022: “It’s very clear that Elon Musk is transmitting a message for Putin.”
Last year, Musk ordered the Starlink satellite network to be shut off to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian fleet. Putin reportedly even asked Musk to turn off Starlink for Taiwan, as a favour to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Currently, US government agencies forewarn the public about Russian, Chinese and Iranian disinformation. Much, but not all, is at a “retail” level, flagging false narratives found on social media.
Musk’s power and influence is so vast, as he creates new realities (the information space of X, reusable rockets), the prospect of Musk coming under the sway of Putin represents malign influence on the West at the wholesale level.
When Musk is put in charge of cutting government jobs, which departments would he shut? People fear he’ll go after government agencies regulating X, Tesla and SpaceX.
But what if, after a conversation with Putin, Musk saw the need to eliminate parts of the intelligence agencies? Or the part of the Justice Department that defends against foreign interference?
It’s not just whom Musk speaks with, but who surrounds Musk. In 2022, he briefly hired a Russian-born poker player to advise him on charitable giving for his foundation after bonding with him over the Burning Man festival.
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The billionaire’s relentless quest for attention is not too different from Trump’s craving for laughs.
In an international crisis, with Musk at the helm of such powerful technologies and working with government, would he do the right thing for the United States’ national security?
Would he do what’s best for his business interests or best for a foreign leader he wanted to impress? Given Musk’s power, wealth and temperament, it’s a new risk to worry about.
As a favourite Musk meme says: “Let that sink in.”
