How to solve a problem like Elon Musk

Let's stop letting the world's richest man set the political and news agenda - and start taking action against foreign interference

That elections should be protected from outside interference is a core principle in many modern democracies. In Britain, foreign donations are prohibited. It’s the same in the United States, France, Ireland and numerous other countries.

We are, however, quickly discovering the limits of the rules and regulations that are supposed to protect our democracies.

Especially when the foreign interference is coming from a multi-billionaire who has complete control over a social media platform where many voters get their information.

Few realised it at the time, but Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter/X in 2022 has given him an unrivalled power to influence politics. His increasingly erratic attacks on governments and public institutions are fast becoming the biggest driver of the news agenda.

Politicians are being forced to react. On Monday, French president Emmanuel Macron accused Musk of “directly intervening in elections.” The same day, Keir Starmer decried the owner of X/Twitter for spreading “lies and misinformation” over grooming gangs involved in child sexual abuse.

Starmer had little choice but to intervene given the extraordinary degree to which Musk has come to set the political agenda in Britain since Labour came to power in July.

Take the anti-immigrant riots that broke out in northern England last summer. The violence was fuelled by false information spread on Twitter/X, and other social media platforms. Musk fanned the flames, accusing Starmer of suppressing free speech by arresting rioters and at one point posting that “civil war” in the UK was inevitable.

As I have written about at length recently, Musk wants to use his money to influence British politics, too.

In December, the world’s richest man met Nigel Farage at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The meeting followed reports that Musk was poised to donate $100million to Reform UK.

But aren’t foreign donations banned in Britain? They are, but non-British donors can still give money through a UK-registered company. Last month, Musk incorporated a company called X.AI London. He’s the person of significant control.

It’s not just the UK. Musk has given full-throated support for a party with neo-nazi ties, the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Musk has even written an op-ed for the influential German newspaper Welt am Sonntag praising the AfD - the paper’s opinion editor resigned in protest - and is planning a live “discussion” on X with the AfD’s leader and candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel.

Germany has very strict rules on political funding but there’s no restrictions on how much a foreign billionaire can use his social media empire to influence its politics.

Musk has looked to exploit divisions in other European states.

In the Netherlands, he has allied himself with anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders. Musk attacked the Italian judiciary for curbing prime minister Giorgia Meloini’s hardline anti-asylum immigration policies. Musk is said to be close to Meloini, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots.

Why is Musk so enamoured with Europe’s radical right? Well, it’s unlikely to be a coincidence that the European Union - which many of these parties oppose - is one of the few institutions anywhere that might stand up to him.

Musk has also seen first hand that his money can buy major political influence. He spent over $250m to help Donald Trump get elected. Many experts believe that the $1million-a-day sweepstake that Musk ran on X broke US electoral law - but who thinks that case will ever be prosecuted now?

Trump has rewarded the loyalty of his “first buddy” with a seat in government. Within a month of the US presidential election, Musk’s wealth had jumped by $170billion as the share price of his companies skyrocketed.

Musk has talked of previously being a Democrat and voting for Obama and Clinton, but he is clearly pursuing an avowedly extreme right wing political ideology focussed on bringing down the global liberal establishment and its institutions.

In the service of this ideology, Musk is using his wealth to become the biggest spreader of untruths and falsehoods in human history.

Even populist allies are not immune: Musk has called for Farage to be replaced as Reform leader, for failing to embrace far-right thug Tommy Robinson - who is serving 18 months for contempt for repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee.

What can be done to protect democracies from billionaires hellbent on election interference?

Macron and Starmer’s public condemnations are a start. Musk has a habit of retreating in the face of pushback. He railed against the Brazilian supreme court’s ban on X for breaching a laws on disinformation then quietly paid the fine to have it lifted.

But even more importantly our media needs to stop falling for Musk’s disorientation strategy. As with Trump, the aim of the endless posts and inflammatory comments is to - in Steve Bannon’s immortal phrase - “flood the zone with shit.”

By letting Musk set the news cycle, he’s also allowed to set the political cycle. This is exactly what he wants.

Our elected governments must rediscover their power, too. They can regulate social media. They can enact new political finance laws to prevent foreign influence. They can mothball official government accounts on X. They can stop giving public contracts to Musk’s companies.

Musk’s election interference is a serious threat. The only way to tackle it is seriously.

A version of this piece appeared in the Irish Independent.