By: Shreya Gupta
Illustration By: Paavas Bansal
I used to think the greatest threat to the world order would be Donald Trump. But in recent months, I’ve come to realise that it is his new-found best-friend who’s really the one pulling the strings and behind the current chaos that is Europe. This is of course triggered by Trump’s political agenda, but I’ve come to wonder whether Elon Musk has actually gone off on his own tangent—one that Trump was neither expecting, nor is able to control. In other words, Musk has gone overboard with his interference in European Politics and refuses to return to planet Earth (not that surprising since he’s obsessed with space).
Musk’s actions in Europe align perfectly with Trump’s inauguration into the White House; and this timing definitely cannot be a coincidence, considering that both understand the importance of Europe in US foreign policy. However, the golden question still remains: Will Trump’s second term see friendly relations with Europe, or does he plan to isolate America forever?
I personally think that Trump needs Europe no matter what, especially since he desires to end the War in Ukraine in favour of Putin’s objectives—a policy in which Europe will prove to be Trump’s biggest obstacle. It makes sense why his future advisor, Elon Musk, has been so adamant to embolden Europe’s already-strong far-right to ensure Trump gets his way. Therefore, the fuelling of far-right agendas in Europe is a seemingly coordinated effort to avoid stringent European backlash towards future policies such as a US-led ceasefire in Ukraine, an increase in oil and gas production, and an ‘America First’ policy which would drastically reduce US cooperation in the international realm.
This can explain Musk’s devious and blatant interference in elections of countries like Germany, where he has openly endorsed the AfD (Alternative for Germany – a far-right party in Germany) through comments like “only the AfD can save Germany” and that it is the “last spark of hope” for the country. Feeling encouraged by these words, Germany’s neighbours are also boosting their far-right campaigns, creating a somewhat domino effect. Austria’s Freedom Party can vividly picture their future victory, especially if a global tycoon and soon-to-be advisor of the next US President would support their journey to power.
But what I struggle with is the extent to which Musk’s attacks on political leaders has reached, and the absence of any remarks by Trump during this upheaval when he almost always has something to say. I think it is very possible that Musk has perhaps taken his task too far and Trump is quietly regretting his decision to give Musk so much responsibility.
It is clear that Musk has quite simply lost the plot and will probably guarantee severed ties with Europe. He’s the wealthiest man on the globe, managed to work his way up to his place in the U.S. Government, and he has the entire technological world at his fingertips—what more does he want? Why is he devoting his precious time to continue messing up an already-frenzied Europe? I think his boredom with business has sparked a desire to play mind games with political leaders instead—a costly pastime indeed. Ironically, this can backfire on Trump himself. It seems like he’s lost control of Musk and is now backed into a corner where the only option is to sit back (or play golf) and watch the events unfold. Or more accurately, watch Musk’s social media rampages lose any chance for an alliance with a much-needed Europe.
The sheer power Musk has is definitely one to be alarmed about. The way he’s swiftly able to penetrate the internal political affairs of several European nations through X’s mere 600 million (real?) users – compared to Facebook’s over three billion – was not on my 2025 bingo card. With a few clicks of a button, Musk is able to devour an entire country one political party at a time.
And where better to start than home? In the UK, he has effectively ended Labour’s (near non-existent) honeymoon period by attacking Keir Starmer and dividing the Labour Party. Yes, Trump may be inspiring Musk’s actions here due to his policy clashes with Starmer on issues of security, the environment and Ukraine. But this has quickly spiralled into an unnecessary chaos. Musk has directly prompted Tories such as Robert Jenrick to openly post racist comments with impunity on X, in which Trump has no gain. On 4 January, Jenrick explicitly blamed UK’s embrace of multiculturalism, or as he calls it the “disastrous experiment”, as the root cause of the Rotherham 1997-2013 Grooming Gangs’ Scandal. He used extremist language such as “people from alien culture” to state that “foreign nationals responsible must be deported—no ifs, no buts”. To suggest such a thing ultimately displays the control Musk has over UK politics if he can cultivate such hostility and trigger politicians to stir up so much drama in just a matter of a few days.
What is even more bewildering is that Musk pounced on his own close ally and loyal Trump supporter: Nigel Farage. The disagreement between them, namely the currently imprisoned far-right and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, have been completely uncalled for and leave many politicians baffled as to what Musk is actually trying to achieve. He’s managed to rile up the entire Reform Party, trigger resignations, pressure Farage to step down as Leader, and yet Trump has still said nothing to defend his old friend or save his influence in Britain.
Widespread criticism from European politicians exhibits the deep-rooted fears of these sudden developments. Stances taken by French President Emmanuel Macron and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre strongly criticise Musk’s unwarranted involvement in European Politics. But I doubt there is much this condemnation can really achieve with a man that seems unstoppable in the current environment. His behaviour suggests he believes he is above the law and can do whatever his heart desires whilst Trump continues to remain quiet.
So I don’t think we should be fooled by Musk’s attempts to disguise his true intentions as trying to help Trump. His persistent attacking of anything and anyone that isn’t a hard rightist reflects his own personal political endeavours of basically global supremacy—I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he backstabs Trump to run for future President.
With Musk’s current pace, it isn’t going to be long until this Puppeteer controls not only the technological world, but the democratic one as well—with or without Trump’s support. I doubt Musk will be able to continue down this line—surely such a powerful man in the US Administration will hurt Trump’s ego sooner or later, leading to his downfall. The problem is though, Musk hasn’t even reached the new administration and already displays power that is simply unfathomable. Our only hope is that he gets bored and finds another hobby; I personally think he should stick to cars—or better yet, getting good at Path of Exile 2.
