Elon Musk has emerged as one of the vital influential and controversial powerbrokers within the new Trump administration. He spent at the least US$277 million (about A$360 million) of his personal cash to assist Donald Trump win re-election, campaigning alongside him across the nation.
This vital funding of money and time raises the query of what the world’s wealthiest particular person hopes to obtain in return. Critics have questioned whether or not Musk’s assist for Trump is only a simple industrial transaction, with Musk anticipating to obtain political favours.
Or does it mirror Musk’s personal genuinely held political opinions, and maybe private political ambition?
From left to alt-right
Decoding Musk’s political opinions and monitoring how they’ve modified over time is a posh train. He’s laborious to pin down, largely by design.
Musk’s present X feed, for instance, is a bewildering mixture of far-right conspiracy theories about immigration, clips of neoliberal economist Milton Friedman warning in regards to the risks of inflation, and commercials for Tesla.
Traditionally, Musk professes to have been a left libertarian. He says he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
Musk claims that over time, the Democratic get together has moved additional to the left, leaving him feeling nearer politically to the Republican get together.
Key to Musk’s political shift, at the least by his personal account, is his estrangement from his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson.
After Vivian’s transition, Musk claimed she was “lifeless, killed by the woke thoughts virus”. She may be very a lot alive.
He’s since repeatedly signalled his opposition to transgender rights and gender-affirming care, and variety, fairness and inclusion insurance policies extra broadly.
Nonetheless, if the mere existence of a trans particular person in his household was sufficient to trigger a political meltdown, Musk was clearly already on a trajectory in the direction of far-right politics.
Relatively than responding to a shift within the Democratic Social gathering, it makes extra sense to know Musk’s altering politics as a part of a much wider latest phenomenon generally known as as “the libertarian to alt-right pipeline”.
The political science, defined
Libertarianism has traditionally tended to be divided between left-wing and right-wing types.
Left libertarians assist financial insurance policies of restricted authorities, akin to slicing taxes and social spending, and deregulation extra broadly. That is mixed with progressive social insurance policies, akin to marriage equality and drug decriminalisation.
Against this, proper libertarians assist the identical set of financial insurance policies, however maintain conservative social views, akin to opposing abortion rights and celebrating patriotism.
Traditionally, the Libertarian Social gathering in america adopted an ungainly center floor between the 2 poles.
The previous decade, although, has seen the Libertarian Social gathering, and libertarianism extra usually, transfer strongly to the suitable. Specifically, many libertarians have performed main roles within the alt-right motion.
The alt-right or “various proper” refers back to the latest resurgence of far-right political actions opposing multiculturalism, gender equality and variety, and supporting white nationalism.
The alt-right is a really on-line motion, with its main activists famend for web trolling and “edgelording” – that’s, the posting of controversial and confronting content material to intentionally stoke controversy and appeal to consideration.
Although some libertarians have resisted the pull of the alt-right, many have been swept alongside the pipeline, together with distinguished leaders within the motion.
Making sense of Musk
Whereas this dialogue of concept could appear summary, it helps to know what Musk’s values are (beneath the chaotic tweets and Nazi salutes).
In financial phrases, Musk stays a limited-government libertarian. He advocates slicing authorities spending, lowering taxes and repealing regulation – particularly laws that put limits on his companies.
His formal function within the Trump administration as head of the “Division of Authorities Effectivity”, often known as DOGE, is focused at these targets.
Musk has recommended that in slicing authorities spending, he’ll notably goal variety, fairness and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. That is the alt-right affect on show.
Alt-right sensibilities are most evident, nonetheless, in Musk’s on-line persona.
On X, Musk has intentionally stoked controversy by boosting and fascinating with white nationalists and racist conspiracy theories.
For instance, he has favourably engaged with far-right politicians advocating for the antisemitic “Nice Substitute concept”. This concept claims Jews are encouraging mass migration to the worldwide north as a part of a deliberate plot to get rid of the white race.
Extra just lately, Musk has endorsed the far-right in Germany. He’s additionally shared movies from identified white supremacists outlining the racist “Muslim grooming gangs” conspiracy concept in the UK.
Whether or not Musk truly believes these outlandish racist conspiracy theories is, in some ways, irrelevant.
Relatively, Musk’s public statements are higher understood as reflecting thinker Harry Frankfurt’s well-known definition of “bullshit”. For Frankfurt, “bullshit” refers to statements made to impress or provoke wherein the speaker is just not involved with whether or not the assertion is definitely true.
A lot of Musk’s on-line persona is a part of a deliberate alt-right populist technique to stoke controversy, upset “the left”, after which declare to be a persecuted sufferer when criticised.
Idea vs apply
Although Musk’s public statements may match properly into modern libertarianism, there are all the time contradictions when placing ideology into apply.
For instance, regardless of Musk’s oft-stated desire for restricted authorities, it’s effectively documented that his corporations have obtained in depth subsidies and assist from numerous governments.
Musk will count on this particular therapy to proceed underneath a quintessentially transactional president akin to Trump.
The vexed subject of immigration additionally presents some contradictions.
Throughout the marketing campaign, each Musk and Trump repeatedly criticised immigration to the US. Reprising the themes of the far-right Nice Substitute concept, Musk claimed unlawful immigration was a deliberate plot by Democrats to “change” the prevailing voters with “compliant illegals”.
Nonetheless, after the election Musk has argued Trump ought to protect classes of expert migration such because the H1-B visas. This angered extra express white supremacists, akin to Trump advisor Laura Loomer.
Musk’s motives in arguing for the visas aren’t humanitarian. H1-B visas permit short-term staff to enter the nation for as much as six years, making them solely depending on the sponsoring firm. It’s a scenario some have referred to as “indentured servitude”.
These visas have been used closely within the know-how sector, together with in corporations owned by each Musk and Trump.
An unsteady alliance
So what may we count on from Musk now that he has each political workplace and affect?
Musk’s acknowledged goal of utilizing DOGE to chop $2 trillion from the US price range would symbolize an unprecedented transformation of presidency. It additionally appears extremely unlikely.
As a substitute, count on Musk to deal with creating controversy by slicing DEI initiatives and different politically delicate packages, akin to assist for ladies’s reproductive rights.
Musk will clearly use his political affect to take care of the pursuits of his corporations. Shares in Tesla surged to report highs following Trump’s re-election, suggesting buyers consider Musk might be a significant monetary beneficiary of the second Trump administration.
Lastly, Musk will undoubtedly use his new place to stay within the public eye. This final half may lead Musk into battle with one other skilled in shaping the media cycle – Trump himself.
Musk has already reportedly fallen out with Vivek Ramaswamy, who will now not co-lead DOGE with Musk.
Precisely how steady the alliance between Trump and Musk is, and whether or not the egos and pursuits of the 2 billionaires can proceed to coexist, stays to be seen.
If the alliance persists, it is going to be a key think about shaping what many are terming the emergence of a “new gilded age” of political corruption and hovering inequality.
Henry Maher, Lecturer in Politics, Division of Authorities and Worldwide Relations, College of Sydney
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