In just a week, Donald Trump will become president of the United States again. In this light, all statements by one of his closest supporters are extremely important. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is this time targeting not specific European countries, but the entire continent.
“Let's make Europe great again” – these words, referring to Donald Trump's famous slogan, were first popularized by Viktor Orban. He even announced it as the official slogan of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Now the slogan “Make Europe Great Again”, or MEGA for short, is taken over by Elon Musk, who has been extremely active in commenting on European politics in recent weeks.
“We are monitoring Musk's activities very closely,” says Henna Virkkunen, the EU commissioner for digital policy, in an interview with the German press. He explains that the richest man in the world can say whatever he likes. The question is whether views different from those of its owner have an equal chance to appear on his X platform.
– An exaggerated reaction of European institutions or institutions of individual countries to Musk's actions can only harm him in the world we live in today, when many people believe that traditional media have not fulfilled their role, or do not fulfill their role, do not notice many processes. popularity – notes Jacek Stawiski, host of the “Horyzont” program on TVN24 BiS.
Elon Musk declares that his website is an oasis of freedom of speech, but he is accused of striving for an information monopoly, which he is allegedly fighting against. – We have many newspapers, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and several others – and they decide what is important. This shouldn't be the case. It is the cumulative voice of people that should decide what is important, says Musk.
After Musk openly supported the German far-right AfD party and interviewed its leader Alice Weidel, renowned American historian Timothy Snyder called the billionaire a threat to the free world. Snyder in “Die Welt” even compared Musk to Putin, writing: “Musk and Putin are trying to sweep away the international order built on state sovereignty and human rights and replace it with a private empire.”
The European Commission is taking a closer look at Elon Musk's actions Maciej Sokołowski/Fakty o Świecie TVN24 BiS
Steve Bannon attacks Elon Musk
A week before Donald Trump's inauguration, Elon Musk is referred to as co-president, sometimes even super-president. He criticizes foreign governments unapologetically and does not hide his political sympathies.
– I think there are no limits. Like Donald Trump, he has no boundaries. Could anyone imagine that the president of the United States, a democratic power that was such a benchmark of freedom, rationalism and democracy, would talk about the need to annex other countries? – points out Wojciech MoÅ›cibrodzki from WSB Merito University.
SEE ALSO: “I'll make him run away from here before he's sworn in.” Former Trump advisor attacks Musk
“He's a really bad guy,” says Steve Bannon, former media adviser to Donald Trump, about Elon Musk. In an interview for the Italian “Corriere della Sera”, Steve Bannon also said that Musk's only goal is to become a trillionaire and “he is a supporter of technofeudalism on a global scale”, i.e. a new type of capitalist exploitation based on new technologies.
Bannon may be jealous, because Musk has clearly taken his place as Trump's adjutant ideologist, the creator of the right-wing media empire under the auspices of the president-elect.
Facts about the World TVN24 BiS
Main photo source: EPA