Washington. Elon Musk is the most influential and controversial person in the new Trump administration. He helped Donald Trump win re-election and spent at least US$277 million of his own money. Apart from this, he also campaigned with Trump across the country. But this now raises a question that what did Musk expect from the Trump administration in return for investing his time and money or does this investment reflect Musk’s own real political views?
From left to right
It is very interesting to understand Musk’s political views and see how they have changed over time. Recently Musk posted a picture from his X account (earlier twitter) which is a bewildering mix of far-right conspiracy theories about immigration, clips of neoliberal economist Milton Friedman warning about the dangers of inflation, and advertisements for Tesla. Historically, Musk considers himself a left-wing liberal. He says he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Joe Biden in 2020. He believes that over time, the Democratic Party has become more left-wing, causing him to turn politically to the Republican Party.
Understanding Musk
Musk’s posts on X can help explain Musk’s values. Economically speaking, Musk remains a limited-government libertarian. He advocates for cutting government spending, lowering taxes, and repealing regulation. His formal role in the Trump administration as the head of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” also known as DOGE, is targeted at these goals. Musk has suggested that while cutting government spending, he would specifically target diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This is alt-right influence on display. However, alt-right sensibilities are most evident in Musk’s online persona. On X, Musk has deliberately fueled controversy by promoting and engaging with white nationalists and racist conspiracy theories. For example, he has interacted favorably with far-right politicians who advocate the anti-Semitic “Great Replacement Theory.” This theory claims that Jews are encouraging mass migration to the global North as part of a deliberate conspiracy to exterminate the white race.
