French President Macron Accuses Elon Musk Of 'Direct Interventions' In Elections. Tesla CEO Responds
Musk hit back at Macron's comments as he targeted Starmer, claiming that he called Donald Trump a racist and also sent Labour Party members to campaign against the US President-elect this year.
French President Emmanuel Macron added to the mounting European criticism of Elon Musk, accusing the Tesla CEO of "direct interventions" in the democratic processes of the continent, including the snap federal elections slated to be held next month in Germany.
Macron joined British and Norwegian prime ministers and a spokesperson of the German government, who had also lashed out at Musk following his posts on social media backing far-right political parties in Europe, while slamming leftwing politicians.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had accused Musk of showcasing support for the far-right party and British PM Keir Starmer had slammed the owner of social media platform X of "spreading lies and misinformation".
"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 had said.
Reacting to this, Musk hit back at Macron's comments as he targeted Starmer claiming that he called Donald Trump a racist and also sent Labour Party members to campaign against the US President-elect this year.
"Oh like that time Starmer called @realDonaldTrump a racist and said the British government should do everything to stop him? Or when Starmer sent British Labour Party members to campaign in the US against President Trump this year?" he said in a post on X.
Oh like that time Starmer called @realDonaldTrump a racist and said the British government should do everything to stop him?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
Or when Starmer sent British Labour Party members to campaign in the US against President Trump this year?https://t.co/5R28WgZIj0 https://t.co/S3cjV27Woi
Starmer Slams Musk For 'Spreading Lies'
While addressing French ambassadors, Macron, who has previously built a constructive relationship with Elon Musk, did not mention the billionaire by name, just like Norway’s centre-left prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre. However, it was obvious that they were referring to Musk.
"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, adding "This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies."
Responding to what would happen if Musk would intervene directly in Norwegian politics, Støre stated that he would warn the country’s politicians to "distance themselves from, such efforts", The Guardian reported.
A German government spokesperson, while speaking at a press conference in Berlin said, "Normal people, sensible people, decent people are in a big majority in this country," as he indirectly stressed Musk's influence on voters was limited. "We act as if Mr Musk’s Twitter statements could influence a country of 84 million people with untruths or half-truths or expressions of opinion," he added. "This is simply not the case."
Last week, Berlin accused Musk of trying to influence the country ahead of the 23 February federal elections with a guest opinion piece he did for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, the report said.
German Chancellor Scholz said in an interview that he would not make any efforts to engage with Elon Musk. "I don’t believe in courting Mr Musk’s favour. I’m happy to leave that to others," he said. "The rule is: don’t feed the troll."
Meanwhile, British PM Keir Starmer on Monday defended his record following days of hostile attacks from Musk, stating that people were "spreading lies and misinformation" online and that they were not interested in supporting those affected but only in themselves.
Musk had recently slammed Starmer, launching a tirade focused on child sexual abuse scandals that emerged during the latter's tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions. He even called for a new public inquiry and demanded Labour prime minister's resignation, the Guardian reported.
Enraged by this, Starmer later said he was "not going to individualise this to Elon Musk", expressing that "a line has been crossed" with some of the criticism. Musk, in a post on X, later described the prime minister as "utterly despicable".
Trending News
Top Headlines
