Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, engaged in a heated exchange with The Economist's editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, during a recent interview. Musk asserted that a significant portion of the public harbors more animosity towards the media than towards him.
"I think a lot more people hate you and the media more than you realize," Musk told Beddoes at Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas. The confrontation arose after Beddoes questioned Musk's influence on European politics, citing his wealth, ownership of the social media platform X, and his large following as tools that give him disproportionate power to shape political discourse abroad.
"Why should you be able to shape European politics? You don’t even live there," Beddoes challenged. She further queried, "It’s why people loathe you. I mean, some people do loathe you."
Musk countered by pointing to his approximately 250 million followers on X, suggesting that his supporters outnumbered his detractors. "Maybe some people do loathe me, and that’s probably true. I don’t care," Musk stated. "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 then shifted the focus to public perception of journalism, asking Beddoes if she recognized the extent of public distrust. "Do you realize the media is despised?" Musk asked. "Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists is like, it’s like a favorable view of journalists is like 15%?"
Beddoes acknowledged the low trust in American journalism but attributed part of the problem to the polarized environment fostered by social media, which she suggested Musk's platform exacerbates. "I think in part there have been mistakes by journalists and journalism. I totally acknowledge that," Beddoes said. "But I also think that the kind of polarized environment, particularly on social media, fostered by the kinds of things you are pushing on X, actually helps make this worse."
Musk rejected this framing, reiterating his belief that journalists are viewed more negatively than he is. "The shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me," he stated. "I think you’re the problem. The media."
The interview also touched upon Musk's prior comments regarding potential civil unrest in Britain and his endorsement of certain European political parties, which Beddoes described as far-right. Musk defended his positions, framing them around principles of border security, public safety, and responsible government spending. "I literally said, look, I believe in safe cities, secure borders and sensible spending with respect to government," Musk said. "That doesn’t make me right wing at all in the least."
Earlier this year, Musk urged Germans to vote for the Alternative for Germany Party and interviewed its leader, Alice Weidel, on X. Reuters reported that he promoted the party in at least two dozen posts over two months prior to Germany's 2025 federal election.
Recent data indicates a decline in public confidence in news media. A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 28% of Americans reported having a great deal or fair amount of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report news fully, accurately, and fairly, marking a record low.