THE world already knows about the outsize role that the richest man in the world — billionaire Elon Musk — played in the 2024 American presidential election. As has been written about at length, Musk put in $270 million into president-elect Donald Trump’s campaign. His involvement also rebranded Trump as pro-tech rather than just a populist fuelled by his working class and ill-educated following. Trump immediately gave Musk the position of budget cutter-in-chief, the actual implications of which will be obvious after Trump’s inauguration later this month. Since nothing is free in this world, it is likely that Trump will have to pay up very soon.

Musk wants more than what he has been promised. In recent months, there have been reports about Musk’s meddling in politics and elections in Europe, including Britain and Germany. His interference has drawn the ire of some European leaders. “Ten years ago, who would have imagined that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would be supporting a new international reactionary movement and intervening directly in elections, including in Germany,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said: “I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries.”

Where the UK is concerned, previously, Musk had been championing Nigel Farage,........

© Dawn