Elon Musk gets involved. Not just since the technology pioneer bought the news service Twitter. But now even more so: “I recommend electing a Republican Congress,” he tweeted shortly before the important midterms in the USA. Because that would curb the “worst excesses of both parties”.
Even if the midterm elections in the USA have almost always resulted in a loss of power for the incumbent president in favor of the opposition, it is not just anyone who speaks up here. The influence of the richest man in the world on the decision of the US electorate cannot be underestimated. Even in a country like the US, where it is common for celebrities or influential business people to position themselves with endorsements.
“Sorry, I’m an absolutist of free speech,” Musk used to justify his frequent political interventions. Born in South Africa, he is considered a libertarian in the USA, i.e. someone who has an aversion to state regulation of all kinds. However, his beliefs can often not be clearly assigned. And they change frequently. Because Musk also likes to position himself on wars and conflicts, she calls him New York Times a “geopolitical chaos agent”. Sometimes the Tesla boss represents tough economic interests. But it often seems as if Musk always has exactly the opinion that provokes the most. He gets involved because he likes it, not necessarily because he has an agenda. An overview of Musk’s speaking engagements.
Almost always democratic
As Musk spoke up: “To put it bluntly”, Musk tweeted the day before midterms, “I have always been independent in my party preferences”. In fact, however, he almost always voted democratically. That only changed this year. In fact, Elon Musk has endorsed Democratic presidential candidates in the past: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Musk never explicitly revealed who he voted for in 2020, Trump or Biden. In between, however, he indicated sympathy for Trump, declaring in the spring that he would open Twitter again for the banned ex-president. However, Musk has also criticized Trump for his restrictive immigration policy in the past. One could perhaps say swaying with a slight twist to the right. But Musk wouldn’t be Musk if he didn’t cast doubts about it again: He could imagine voting Democratic again in the future, he tweeted immediately afterwards when he had submitted his election recommendation for the Republicans.
How are the reactions? While Republicans like Senator Ron DeSantis of Florida are “100 percent” happy about the opening of Twitter and applaud Musk, Democrats like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts call him a “threat to democracy”. Whether it’s Joe Biden or someone else running for the Democrats in the 2024 presidential election, they’re very unlikely to turn to Musk when looking for celebrity endorsements. Even if the Tesla boss should have changed his preferences again by then.
Sympathy for Canadian truckers
As Musk spoke up: Superficially, Musk could be one of those people in Germany who are sometimes referred to as critics of measures or those who play down the corona virus. A few days after the first cases became known in spring 2020, he called the fear of the epidemic “stupid”, later he got into a fight with the authorities in California when he wanted to open his Tesla factory despite the lockdown and wrote on Twitter: If someone gets arrested at my company, I hope it will be me. In the second year of the pandemic, he questioned the point of vaccinations and in early 2022 he expressed his solidarity with truck drivers who were coming together from all corners of Canada Freedom Convoy had formed to besiege Parliament in Ottawa.
How the world reacted: For the most part, Musk’s statements were dismissed as irrelevant gibberish and were quickly forgotten. There are also doubts as to whether Musk’s hasty anti-corona measures tweets really result from ideological conviction, or rather from anger that his business has been slowed down by it. However, the Tesla boss always had a reliable advocate when it came to Corona: the then US President Donald Trump. Also otherwise a brother in spirit, similarly erratic, similarly unscrupulous, similarly not giving a damn what others think of you.
Zelensky asks, Musk delivers
As Musk spoke up: At the start of the Russian invasion, he tweeted Ukrainian flags and appeals of support: “Hold on Ukraine”. At the same time, he also sent his condolences to the Russian citizens and protesters who did not want this. When Ukraine asked Musk for help with satellite internet service Starlink, he activated all systems within ten hours and even sent the necessary receiving equipment to Kyiv.
How were the reactions? President of Ukraine Zelensky immediately thanked him with a tweet and said he looks forward to continuing to work together. The gift from Space-X, Musk’s space company, was essential for communication within the Ukrainian army. But it was a gift where the giver kept pointing out how expensive the gift was. 120 million US dollars namely, which he, Musk emphasized – on Twitter of course – selflessly make available to Ukraine. The US government must bear the costs, Musk said. A demand that a high-ranking representative of the Pentagon dismissed as “cheeky”. Starlink is still working in Ukraine today, but the authorities there have been reporting failures ever since.
Peace plan to 280 characters
As Musk spoke up: The tweet came on October 3 of this year, 6:15 p.m. German time. Four simple points, probably typed out jaggedly, with the simple heading “Russian-Ukrainian peace.” Real referendums in the Russian-occupied territories, a permanently Russian Crimea, a secure water supply there and a neutral Ukraine. Finished. A 280-character peace plan that Musk drafts here. Why so complicated when it can be done easily, dear diplomats. And as if the Tesla boss had already anticipated the criticism, he sent two more Peacemaker tweets afterwards: What he is designing here is the end result anyway. The only question is how many deaths there will be by then. It is also important to mention that it is not likely, but possible that the conflict will lead to a nuclear war. end of analysis.
How the world reacted: Both the United Nations, as well as US President Joe Biden, the EU foreign policy representative and the specialist journal well-known among diplomats foreign policy left Musk’s peace plan rather cold, but at least an influential politician reacted to the Tesla boss. Andriy Melnyk, the then ambassador of Ukraine in Germany, who is now back in Kyiv, jumped over the stick that Musk held out to him. The answer, however, was hearty even for the plain text and tough guy Melnyk: “Fuck you is my very diplomatic reply to you”. This is so clear that it does not need to be translated. Melnyk tweeted that no one in Ukraine would buy Musk’s company cars anymore. Although the ambassador put it a little differently, he wrote about “that damn Tesla shit”.
Kind of like Hong Kong, just a little more forgiving
Here’s what Musk said: The war in Ukraine isn’t the only major conflict Musk has gotten involved in. He also has suggestions ready for the Asia-Pacific region. However, economic interests come first. Between 30 and 50 percent of Tesla’s new cars are produced in Shanghai – so the tensions between China and Taiwan don’t fit Musk’s concept. In the US media, the Tesla boss has already admitted that he has received pressure from Beijing: he should undertake not to supply the island state with Starlink in the future. To avoid potential problems for his factories, Musk presented in the Financial Times immediately proposed a solution: Taiwan’s government should hand over part of the control to Beijing. “I would propose a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably comfortable. They could also have an arrangement that is more lenient than Hong Kong.”
Here’s how the world reacted: As expected, the Chinese Ambassador to the US was in favor and welcomed the proposal. Taiwan protested: The island state’s democracy is not for sale. And so Musk’s Hong Kong-Taiwan initiative followed the path of many of Elon Musk’s ideas: It vanished.