Washington DC:
It is not unthinkable that the world’s richest particular person can pull greater than only a few strings with high politicians, however Elon Musk appears to be investing himself within the political world with such depth that analysts now surprise if there’s a bigger plan.
Final week Elon Musk created historical past by breaking his personal earlier document and turning into the primary particular person to have a internet price of greater than 400 billion {dollars}. In simply six days, he has added practically one other 100 billion ($86 billion) and is knocking on the 500-billion-dollar mark. Within the final one 12 months, Musk has added $257 billion to his internet price – $7 billion greater than your complete internet price of Jeff Bezos – the second-most richest particular person globally.
Picture and Knowledge Credit score: Bloomberg
However Musk is not only driving the excessive wave in the case of enterprise, he’s now doing the identical in geopolitics. Having being included within the Trump Administration 2.0, Elon Musk finds himself immersed on this planet of politics. Although he was deeply concerned with Donald Trump’s marketing campaign and is partially credited for the latter’s win within the US elections, he now appears to be backing – or reasonably, influencing – leaders from past the US.
US DONE, MUSK SETS EYES ON UK
From supporting one firebrand chief to now backing one other one – this time within the UK – Elon Musk has held intensive talks with anti-immigration hardliner Nigel Farage. The discussions between the 2 had been largely targeted on Musk funding Farage’s hard-right social gathering ‘Reform UK’.
Elon Musk, who now freely makes use of Donald Trump’s Florida resort estate-cum-residence, Mar-a-Lago, as his political workplace, invited Nigel Farage for a gathering earlier this week.
Writing about it in British day by day The Telegraph, Mr Farage confirmed that “the difficulty of cash was mentioned”, although the 2 couldn’t agree on the quantity in query by the tip of that assembly. “There will likely be ongoing negotiations on that rating,” Mr Farage added.
Sharing particulars in regards to the assembly, that can most actually increase eyebrows within the UK’s two major political social gathering places of work – The Labour Occasion, now in authorities and the Conservative Occasion, at the moment the opposition – Mr Farage talked about about Elon Musk’s disdain for each events. He said that Musk “described the Labour and Conservative events because the uniparty, and left us (Reform Occasion) in little doubt that he’s proper behind us.”
In his article Mr Farage additionally talked about that he goals to be taught from Elon Musk’s money incentives for folks to be inspired to vote – a technique that labored for Donald Trump’s Republican social gathering throughout the US elections. Mr Farage said that “I’ve come dwelling with copious notes on how they elevated turnout, voter registration, and a lot extra, and all of this I intend to implement as a part of the professionalisation of our social gathering.”
Elon Musk is reportedly contemplating an preliminary donation of $100 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform Occasion. Talking to the BBC, Mr Farage mentioned, “He desires to assist us, he is not against the concept of giving us cash supplied we will do it legally by UK firms.”
It will likely be a steep ask for Mr Farage’s social gathering to even consider successful a normal election within the UK. In the latest elections held this 12 months, the Reform Occasion gained simply 5 seats within the 650-seat UK Parliament. Nonetheless, it scores impressively when it comes to vote share, accounting for 14 per cent of all of the votes solid. Mr Farage hopes that with Musk’s assist – ethical and monetary – his social gathering would possibly simply do the unthinkable.
Concluding his article, Mr Farage wrote, “It’s heartening to hearken to Elon discuss UK politics with such deep care. He regards the mom nation of the English-speaking world as being in very deep bother.”
After their assembly, Mr Farage wrote on Musk’s social media platform X that “”Britain wants reform”, to which Elon Musk promptly replied “Completely”.
Completely
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2024
ELON MUSK’S CALL WITH UKRAINE’S ZELENSKY
Final month Elon Musk was with Donald Trump on the President-elect’s residence and luxurious resort Mar-a-Lago in Palm Seaside, Florida when Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the telephone.
In the course of the telephone name, Donald Trump reportedly handed the telephone over to Elon Musk and supposedly requested the SpaceX founder to hitch the decision with President Zelensky.
Elon Musk then reassured President Zelensky that he’ll proceed to assist Ukraine through his Starlink satellite tv for pc constellation. Because the Russian invasion in 2022, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite tv for pc system has supplied Ukraine with important frontline benefit by permitting its armed forces to share real-time drone coordinates, information and pictures between models. It additionally gave Ukraine’s army communications assist in areas the place cell phone networks had been destroyed.
FRIENDSHIP WITH ARGENTINA’S JAVIER MILEI
Argentinian President Javier Milei was reportedly one of many few world leaders to have been invited for Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony on January 20, 2025 – an invitation he has reportedly accepted. Elon Musk has been a really sturdy supporter of President Milei.
In actual fact, as per a report within the New York Instances, in a video uploaded on social media platform X by Elon Musk himself, the tech billionaire claimed that watching President Milei’s speech was “higher than having intercourse”.
Elon Musk had even met President Milei when information of his electoral victory was confirmed. In a publish on X earlier than that assembly, Musk had written “Prosperity is forward for Argentina”.
It have to be famous that Argentina has massive deposits of Lithium, which is essential for Elon Musk’s EV firm Tesla.
In accordance with a report by CNN, Elon Musk is in talks with no less than a dozen different world leaders – for geopolitical causes in addition to for enterprise.
Solely time will unravel whether or not Elon Musk’s political outreach is restricted to simply pulling a couple of strings, or will it lead to him holding on to the very reins that may restructure world politics.
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