Emmanuel Macron, who not so long ago cultivated a certain closeness with Elon Musk, has changed his tune. On Monday, January 6, at the Elysée Palace, the French president accused the owner of social media X of supporting "reactionary international news" and interfering "directly in elections, including in Germany." "Ten years ago ... who would have imagined [such a scenario]?" he continued.

In recent days, Musk, who will be taking part in the future Donald Trump administration as head of a commission in charge of "government efficiency," has lashed out violently at Keir Starmer's government in the UK, and has stepped up his declarations of support for the German far-right, just a few weeks ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 23. "Only the AfD can save Germany," he posted on X, among other sites. So far, he has spared Macron, but the latter could also bear the brunt of his crusade for the far-right at a time of great political instability in France. "Make no mistake, Musk wants to destroy the European Union [EU]," warned a European diplomat.

"It makes me smile to see those who spoke of Musk as a genius now portraying him as a monster, only because he chose the side considered 'bad' on the barricade," scoffed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who regularly praises Musk's "genius" and visited Trump in Florida this weekend, in an interview with Corriere della Sera published on January 3.

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