[The Editors' Verdict]Musk Crossing the Line: Part of the 'MAGA' Plan

"Do not feed the trolls (troll: a person who deliberately stirs up trouble to attract attention)." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made this remark in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who mocked him by calling him an "incompetent idiot." French President Emmanuel Macron also pointed out, "He (Musk) is directly interfering with the democratic process on the European continent."

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed concern, saying, "It is worrisome when someone with significant access to social media and vast economic resources directly intervenes in the domestic affairs of other countries." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized Musk, stating, "Those who spread misinformation have no interest in the victims."

Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a key figure in the Trump administration, has become a public enemy. The reason is that he is offering unsolicited advice to other countries, to the point of interfering in their internal affairs.

Musk uses the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which he owns, to criticize governments around the world. In addition to interviews and opinion pieces supporting Germany's far-right party, he has called for the release of a far-right British activist currently in prison. He also posted an article claiming that 91% of sexual assault offenders in Spain's Catalonia region are foreigners and 17% are immigrants, causing a major stir within the Spanish government.

Despite this, Donald Trump has sided with Musk, saying, "Elon is doing a great job." While European countries continue to push back, the European Union itself has remained silent on the issue of political interference. This is seen as a sign that the EU is wary, given Musk's powerful position in the anticipated second Trump administration.

Why is Musk behaving this way? While he has long been considered an eccentric, it is difficult to dismiss his actions as mere attention-seeking by the world's richest man. CNN pointed out that Musk's ability to freely comment on foreign politics under Trump's approval reflects the distorted confidence of the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. This aligns with Trump's own claims, such as proposing to make Canada the 51st state of the United States or stating that he would "not rule out the use of military force" to acquire Greenland from Denmark and the Panama Canal. Musk expressed support for Trump, saying, "I think the people of Greenland want to be part of the United States."

Of course, Musk also has personal ambitions for greater business benefits. While advocating for "more efficient government" may appear to be about budget efficiency on the surface, it can also be interpreted as an attempt to weaken the functions of regulatory agencies that are unfavorable to businesses, thereby generating greater profits.

In fact, Musk has faced difficulties accelerating his businesses-such as Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink-due to various government regulations. This is cited as a decisive reason for his support of Trump. Furthermore, since Musk's business interests are not limited to the United States, it is highly likely that he believes right-wing governments in Europe, which pursue deregulation and corporate tax cuts, are also advantageous for his enterprises.

Recently, there have even been reports that China, which is at odds with Trump, is considering using Musk as a "broker" or even selling TikTok's U.S. operations to him for joint management. There have also been claims that Musk played a leading role in negotiating with Iran to secure the release of hostages.

Ultimately, it is highly likely that Musk, backed by Trump, will continue to interfere-both directly and indirectly-in the politics of various countries to achieve his own objectives. Musk's overstepping actions are merely one part of his "big picture."

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