“I’m dark MAGA,” tech-billionaire and President-elect Donald Trump’s current right-hand man, Elon Musk, proclaimed at a rally in Pennsylvania on Oct. 5, 2024. These three words should serve as a warning for the political influence Musk has had and will continue to have as Trump reclaims his position of power in just a few short days. What is the real danger behind this looming “bromance?”
Musk doesn’t hold any official office. Instead, he holds something much more ominous: the hand of the President. We are dealing with an individual who has more money than any person in the history of civilization and one who donated more than a quarter-billion dollars to Trump’s reelection campaign. Elon Musk’s current net worth as of the beginning of 2025 is 416.1 billion dollars. Simply put, money talks and it’s clear that the Trump administration loves to listen.
The invitations to Mar-a-Lago, appearances at rallies, and retweets of one another’s posts on X may come across as a true friendship, but I caution against this naive thinking and counter with the reality; Elon Musk has created himself a political empire where he can preach free speech on a platform that he, himself controls. He is the richest man in the world with unlimited access to any resource he desires, coupled with one of the most popular (and politically driven) social media platforms that he owns. He wields an unthinkable amount of power, and no one will keep him in check.
Musk has ensured his opinions don’t stay domestic by voicing his support for Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD is a far-right extremist party with intense opposition to immigration across the country’s borders. His involvement in international affairs is worrisome as he is openly seen as one of Trump’s closest advisers, which raises concerns about the damage that his association will [JUMP] bring to allies of the United States. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere is reported to have said, “I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries.”
Furthering the worry, Musk is supported by a platform of 212.2 million followers on X, who consume several tweets that he posts every day. Recently, he has taken to his platform to pin the blame of the tragic wildfires Los Angeles is facing on Democrats and diversity initiatives. Ignoring climate change, he tweeted that the inability to contain the wildfires quickly is due to prioritization of “DEI over saving lives and homes.” This is in response to Los Angeles’s Fire Department’s first woman and LGBTQ+ chief, Kristin Crowley, who he criticizes but is qualified as a 22-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Musk’s recent commentary and outcries on X are just a glimpse into his power through his platform and his commitment to fight censorship. A fundamental American value is freedom of speech, one that deserves to be protected, but it is also one that must be acknowledged as the most influential form of power one can have. This influence knows no bounds, especially when given a platform of hundreds of millions of followers.
According to The Washington Post, “Musk’s use of X to stoke partisan outrage and conspiracy theories about the disaster underscores how a platform once viewed as a global hub for breaking news has transformed into a megaphone for the political views of its owner.” The transformation of X is ever-changing, and we have yet to see what this new era of the Trump presidency will do about it. Musk’s presence should raise a conversation that we must have as a society before it becomes too late.
I propose a conversation addressing the power wealthy elites have in our politics. It comes as no surprise that money sways opinion. Still, I want us to understand that wealth combined with an utterly uncensored platform and a seat next to the President is a situation that should raise genuine concern. The Constitution covers all the checks and balances critical to a well-functioning government, an effective system that makes the United States so successful. But how do we check the power of people like Musk? What is the solution? There may be no current clear answer to this concern, so we must attempt to keep him in check.
