In a significant development highlighting growing tensions between European leadership and tech giant Elon Musk's political activities, French President Emmanuel Macron has emerged as the latest prominent voice opposing the billionaire's involvement in continental politics. According to The Guardian, Macron's concerns specifically address Musk's influence on Germany's upcoming federal elections.
The French leader's stance comes amid a broader pushback from European officials, including the prime ministers of Norway and Britain, against Musk's recent social media activities supporting far-right political groups and criticizing leftist politicians across Europe.
Musk, who owns the social platform X and maintains close ties with Donald Trump, has invested more than $250 million in Trump's re-election campaign. The incoming US president has subsequently appointed him as a special adviser on federal budget cuts.
Speaking to French ambassadors, Macron – who previously maintained positive relations with Musk and had invited him to Notre Dame cathedral's reopening – chose not to name the billionaire directly. Norway's center-left Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre adopted a similar approach. "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," Macron said in his address.
"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," Støre told public broadcaster NRK. "This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies."
The Guardian reported that a German government spokesperson addressed Musk's influence more directly, downplaying its impact. "Normal people, sensible people, decent people are in a big majority in this country," the spokesperson said during a Berlin press conference. The controversy has intensified following Berlin's accusation that Musk attempted to sway the February 23 federal elections through an opinion piece in Welt am Sonntag. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is scheduled to participate in an hour-long X livestream with Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) leader Alice Weidel. Musk previously posted that "only the AfD can save Germany."
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck characterized Musk's AfD support as a strategic move aimed at weakening Europe's ability to regulate tech companies. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking to Stern magazine, dismissed engaging with Musk, stating, "I don't believe in courting Mr. Musk's favor. I'm happy to leave that to others," adding, "The rule is: don't feed the troll."
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to Musk's accusations regarding historical child abuse cases during Starmer's tenure as director of public prosecutions. "A line has been crossed," Starmer noted while avoiding direct engagement with Musk, who later described the prime minister as "utterly despicable" on X.
