Now that Musk owns Republicans, they own his extremism

Elon Musk, whose “world’s richest man” status relies heavily on money his companies get from U.S. taxpayers, is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to keep Republicans in control of Congress. He has spent more than $275 million in just the past few months, on top of the more than $100 million or so he had already spent this election cycle.  

I sure would like to see more reporters asking Republican candidates to disavow Musk for promoting racist and inflammatory rhetoric; or for turning X into a platform that empowers neo-Nazis and white supremacists; or for amplifying anti-immigrant rhetoric to a point that led to mob violence; or for pushing, in the words of The Nation’s Jeet Heer, “global neo-Nazi regime change.”  

Why is Musk exempt from the kind of scrutiny devoted to social media influencers who have far less influence on our culture and political system?  

Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that many of Musk’s X posts were “indiscernible from those of white supremacists.” For example, Musk reposted a claim that “white genocide is the official Democrat party platform.” This spring, the Washington Post quoted a commentator noting that Musk’s “near daily” posting about race left “no doubt he’s a white nationalist.” 

Musk has repeatedly endorsed the idea of “remigration” — the idea that non-white immigrants should be forced to leave the U.S. and European countries. He promoted the movie “Citizen Vigilante,” and the idea that violence should........

© The Hill