Elon Musk responded to criticism of his influence on European politics by asserting that the public harbors more animosity towards the media than towards him. The exchange occurred during an interview with The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes at Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas.
Beddoes challenged Musk on his support for certain European political parties, questioning his right to shape politics abroad given his wealth and ownership of the social media platform X. "Why should you be able to shape European politics? You don’t even live there," Beddoes stated.
Musk countered Beddoes's assertion that some people "loathe" him by pointing to his substantial following on X. "Maybe some people do loathe me, and that’s probably true. I don’t care," Musk said. "But the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t."
He further argued that public distrust of journalists is a more significant issue than any perceived dislike of him. "Do you realize the media is despised?" Musk asked Beddoes. "Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists is like, it’s like a favorable view of journalists is like 15%?"
Beddoes acknowledged that trust in American journalism has declined, but suggested that polarization, particularly on social media platforms like X, contributes to the problem. Musk rejected this, stating, "The shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me. I think you’re the problem. The media."
The interview also touched on Musk's previous comments about the potential for civil war in Britain and his engagement with parties he described as far-right. Musk defended his positions, framing them around border security, public safety, and government spending, and rejected the far-right label. He noted his urging for Germans to vote for the Alternative for Germany party and his interviews with its leader, Alice Weidel, on X.