"If Trump loses, I'm fucked." With his usual blend of provocation, paranoia and candor, this is how Elon Musk summed up his situation just a few weeks before the US presidential election. In an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson broadcast on Monday, October 7, his phrase illustrates the new state of affairs. Since it was bought by the billionaire in October 2022, the social media network Twitter has changed a great deal, right down to its name – now X. The multi-billionaire himself has also completed a major, highly politicized transformation: Since July, he openly supports Donald Trump.
Musk's account on X has become one of the campaign's main mouthpieces. It's where he delivers a daily dose of ultraconservative language and insults to Kamala Harris, who he regularly describes as an extremist or communist. Day after day, Musk also repeats a conspiracy theory claiming that the Democrats are "importing" illegal immigrants into key voting states to manipulate the elections. In yet another unusual step, Musk appeared on stage alongside Trump at a rally on October 5.
In the space of a few months, Musk seems to have partly tied his fate, and the future of his companies, to the outcome of the presidential election. If Trump is elected, Musk could enjoy enhanced power. The Republican candidate has promised that Musk would head a commission on government efficiency. This "genius" would also "advise" the White House on artificial intelligence, said Trump, defending a line rather opposed to regulation of this technology, in order to assert American power in the face of China.
Musk could also count on maintaining or even increasing public orders for his rocket company SpaceX, and on a benevolent policy towards Tesla going forward. In early September, Trump claimed to be "for electric cars," having been historically highly critical of electric vehicles. "I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice," he added. His re-election would put Musk in "an unprecedented role: American oligarch," wrote Politico magazine.
Conversely, a Harris election would be more perilous, given Musk's scorched-earth politics. "I've been trashing Kamala non-stop," Musk laughed to Carlson, musing about "how many years in jail" he'd get. Admittedly, reducing public orders for SpaceX – now an indispensable partner of NASA – would appear to be difficult. Harris's platform also includes support for electric vehicles, from which Tesla already benefits, despite tensions with President Biden at the start of his term.
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