In the incestuous relationship between American politics and business, the alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has reached a milestone. Until recently, the world's richest man was skeptical about the Republican candidate's ability to lead the country. But in the space of just a few months, he has become one of Trump's most fervent supporters ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
It's not news that the boss of Tesla, SpaceX and social media network X is one of Trump's main backers. Billionaires have traditionally financed candidates, and Kamala Harris is no different to her rival in this respect. But Musk isn't just a financial backer. He is now an integral part of Trump's campaign, with questionable methods and an unrivaled capacity for influence, all at the service of conspiracy theories.
First of all, his methods. After appearing in early October with Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, one of the states likely to swing the November 5 vote, Musk launched a $1 million daily lottery there to encourage people to register to vote. It's a legally contentious process that could amount to vote-buying.
Secondly, his influence. Even if the 2024 campaign is only marginally being played out on X, the fact that Musk is instrumentalizing the social media network he bought in 2022 clearly raises a question of fairness. Under the pretext of defending freedom of expression, the platform disseminates lies and slander to harm Democrats, while propagating explicit stances in favor of Trump. In the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton, for example, X was used to pour out a torrent of misinformation about the federal response to the natural disaster. Little by little, the social media network has been transformed into an informal mouthpiece for the Republican candidate.
Anti-migrant rhetoric
Musk's influence is all the more decisive in the political arena, as he reinforces the Trumpist electorate in its whims, starting with the anti-migrant rhetoric he helps to peddle. Demanding better regulation of migratory flows is one thing. To claim that the current system only serves to bring future Democrat supporters into the United States to steal elections is akin to pure conspiracy theorizing. Indeed, it's surprising that Musk, who was born in South Africa and exemplifies America as a land of opportunity for foreigners, has become a staunch advocate of strict border closures.
It would be naive to believe that the richest man on the planet is rooting for Trump out of political conviction alone. His support is obviously linked to his interests, and there are many of them. Musk's companies benefit from federal contracts, with NASA and the Pentagon, and from various subsidies, not to mention the role of his Starlink telecommunications satellite network, which can be decisive on the battlefield, as Ukraine learned to its cost in 2022.
At a time when crucial decisions need to be made about the future of artificial intelligence and the commercialization of space, Musk is positioning himself to transform his immense wealth into an unprecedented source of unaccountable political power. The role Musk could end up playing is not the least of the risks posed by a second Trump term.