"Account Blocking on Rebuttal" ... Trump Ally and Elon Musk at Odds

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is increasingly causing concern and dissatisfaction among close associates of President-elect Donald Trump over his expanding influence that extends beyond the United States to Europe and other overseas regions.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 8th (local time) that "Musk embraces far-right groups in Europe but is at odds with far-right factions in the U.S.," adding, "Prominent American right-wing figures fear their agenda will be ignored by Musk, who has shown on X (formerly Twitter) that he can silence anyone who opposes him at any time."

Reuters Yonhap News

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The weaponization of X by Musk, pointed out by U.S. right-wing figures, surfaced recently amid debates over the influx of highly skilled immigrants. At that time, Musk argued for expanding overseas recruitment due to a shortage of engineers with talent and passion in the U.S., but far-right activist Laura Loomer’s X account, which attacked this as a 'conspiracy by professional leftists,' was temporarily suspended.

In a recent interview, Loomer said, "It seems Musk does not even allow questions," and criticized, "Musk is a liability to Trump. The question is whether Trump will intervene before he causes a crisis in the administration." Known for spreading conspiracy theories such as the claim that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. government, Loomer is considered a close associate who even traveled with President-elect Trump on a private plane.

Loomer is not the only right-wing figure clashing with Musk. Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and known as Trump’s 'strategist,' also pointed out, "Musk seems addicted to the adulation he received during the election," adding, "As it became clear that Musk thinks MAGA (Trump supporters) are lazy and worthless, the praise he received turned into ridicule." Additionally, Mike Davis, a lawyer known to be close to President-elect Trump, warned Musk to "stay in his lane," criticizing his excessive exercise of influence.

AFP Yonhap News

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The NYT conveyed that while there have been previous complaints about Musk’s 'presidential behavior,' recent domestic and international political interference through X has escalated tensions. As the owner of X, Musk has championed freedom of expression and opposed content censorship more than anyone else, yet he has made enemies by silencing opposing views through account suspensions.

Evelyn Douek, a Stanford Law School professor who studies online speech censorship, said, "Musk’s suppression of speech on X is nothing new," and evaluated, "His absolute libertarian claims about the media have always been more performance than reality." She added, "The restoration of Loomer’s Twitter account was seen as symbolizing the start of a new era," emphasizing, "It is especially poetic that such criticism of Musk comes from someone like Loomer."

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