Elon Musk Embraces Twitter with "Vote Republican" Slogan, Unstoppable Political and Diplomatic Moves (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] "I prefer not to get involved in politics." (September 3, 2021)

"Considering that the president is from the Democratic Party, I recommend voting for the Republican Party in Congress." (November 7, 2022)

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and the new owner of the social networking service (SNS) Twitter, urged independent voters who are not affiliated with any political party to vote for the Republican Party on the 7th (local time), a day before the U.S. midterm elections. Just over a year ago, he kept his distance from political issues and focused on industries such as electric vehicles and batteries, but this year he has expanded his influence to major political and diplomatic issues including the U.S. elections, the Russia-Ukraine war, and anti-government protests in Iran.

◇"SNS Platform CEO's Remarks on Real Politics Are Unusual"

Musk, who has 115 million followers, wrote on his Twitter account that "shared power restrains the worst excesses of both (Democratic and Republican) parties," and "therefore, considering that the president is a Democrat, I recommend independent-leaning voters to vote for the Republican Party in Congress." He emphasized the voting participation of independent voters, saying, "Hardline supporters of the Democratic and Republican parties never vote for the opposite side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who will be responsible for Congress."

In a follow-up tweet, Musk said, "To be clear, my historical party affiliation was independent, and my actual voting record has been entirely Democratic until this year," adding, "I am open to voting Democratic again in the future." This is interpreted as him being aware of criticism that the owner of a major SNS platform directly intervened and influenced real politics after posting a tweet supporting the Republican Party.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Musk's remarks are considered unusual because they came just a day before the midterm elections. Since voters mainly consume election-related information through SNS, executives of Twitter and Facebook have tried to remain neutral and avoid interfering in elections. Katie Harbath, former Vice President of International Politics and Election Integrity at Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company, told Bloomberg, "It is unprecedented for a CEO to step forward and say such things," adding, "If there is a Republican candidate who refuses to accept the presidential election results, it will be interesting to see what stance Twitter will take."

Earlier, before acquiring Twitter in May, Musk declared on Twitter, "The Democratic Party has become a party of division and hate," and "I can no longer support the Democratic Party and will vote Republican." U.S. President Joe Biden, who has had a tense relationship with Musk, criticized Musk's acquisition of Twitter during a midterm election campaign rally on the 4th, saying, "Musk bought a platform that spreads lies to the entire world."

◇From Ukraine to Taiwan Issue... Unrestrained Musk

Musk, CEO of Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle company, SpaceX, which leads the global space industry alongside NASA, and now Twitter, seems to have gained 'superpower' status and is showing unrestrained behavior. He has moved beyond exerting influence only in electric vehicles and cryptocurrencies to making numerous statements on political and diplomatic issues. His topics are broad, covering not only U.S. political issues but also geopolitical issues such as the Ukraine war, anti-government protests in Iran, and the conflict between China and Taiwan.

On the 3rd of last month, he sparked controversy by proposing a peace plan to end the Ukraine war, suggesting that Ukraine give up the Crimean Peninsula, forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014, and become a neutral country. SpaceX, owned by Musk, contributed to Ukraine's information warfare by providing Starlink satellite internet services after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. However, he recently caused controversy by charging some countries, including the U.S., for Starlink services. Additionally, when the Iranian government controlled the internet in some regions to suppress anti-government protests last month, he offered to provide Starlink satellite internet services to Iran.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Musk has also expressed his opinions without hesitation on the Taiwan issue, a core point of U.S.-China tensions. In an interview with a foreign media outlet early last month, when asked about Tesla's electric vehicle factory in China, he suggested operating Taiwan as a special administrative region like Hong Kong, which sparked controversy.

◇"A Global Headache"... Tesla Falls Below $200

The New York Times (NYT) pointed out last month that Musk's actions may have business interests behind them. Karen Kornbluh, director of the German Marshall Fund and former advisor to ex-U.S. President Barack Obama, said, "Technology has become central to geopolitics," adding, "It is interesting but troublesome that Musk is at the center of it." The U.S. political and diplomatic magazine The Atlantic recently commented that Musk's personal tendencies could greatly influence global information sharing and public opinion formation, expressing concern that his acquisition of Twitter could have a negative impact on the global community beyond the company itself.

Musk's unrestrained behavior is negatively affecting not only Twitter but also Tesla. After Musk's acquisition of Twitter increased uncertainty, numerous global companies such as General Motors (GM), Pfizer, Audi, and General Mills announced they would stop advertising on Twitter. Tesla's stock price on the New York Stock Exchange fell 5.01% on the 7th, closing at $197.08, dropping below $200.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.