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Christian Science Monitor

Christian Science Monitor

Elon Musk aims his digital megaphone at Europe. Why?

Christian Science Monitor
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Elon Musk’s efforts to influence European politics raise a host of questions about his business interests, and the degree to which he speaks for himself or President-elect Donald Trump .

Musk has endorsed far-right parties and politicians in Europe and used X, the social media platform he owns, to push his brand of antiestablishment politics.

By using his megaphone on X, formerly Twitter , in Europe , he’s exerting influence on democracies.

Musk seems to be developing a playbook for bending political institutions to his will.

Some observers note that he and his companies stand to gain from any populist wave that may topple Europe 's liberal democracies.

But his statements also suggest a sincere belief that disruption of Europe 's established political order is inevitable.

Mr. Musk ’s enthusiasm for right-wing parties across Europe maps onto his personal, political, and business interests.

In addition to owning X, he is the chief executive of Tesla , which builds electric vehicles in Germany .

His rocket company, SpaceX, is also seeking access to European markets, including in Italy , whose prime minister met with Mr. Trump last week .