Elon Musk Names the Real Force Behind His European Politics, and It’s Not the Far-Right

Elon Musk says one force drives his political activity in Europe. It is not the far-right, he told The Economist. It is “normal people” and the defense of “the West collectively.”

The Tesla and SpaceX chief clashed with Editor-in-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes in an interview recorded on Monday. It airs in full on The Economist’s video program Insider from 18:00 UK time on Thursday.

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Musk Rejects the ‘Far Right’ Label

Minton Beddoes opened with a charge. She said Musk backs “very fringe parties” in some countries. He said the label is wrong, and demanded the segment stay in the final cut.

“It’s just normal people, and here are the principles, and tell me which of these sound terrible. That we should have secure borders, that we should safe cities, that should have sensible spending, which of those three are far right fringe,” Musk told The Economist.

Then he turned on the press itself.

“I would like to just admonish you and the media for the absurd characterization of the far right. Which is false and misleading.”

The pushback was direct. Minton Beddoes cited his post that civil war in Britain is “inevitable.” She noted Musk last visited the UK years ago. She said violent crime there is falling, and London is safer than US cities.

Musk did not retreat. He warned that a growing group with beliefs “antithetical to western beliefs” means “at some point there will be a reckoning.”

The Force Behind Musk’s European Politics

Why should he shape European politics from abroad? Musk gave his most revealing answer there. He named no party at all.

“I think of it as sort of the West collectively.”

He is not backing a party. He is defending a whole way of life. And he can act on it. He is the world’s richest man, worth more than $800 billion. He owns X, where about 250 million people follow him.

Musk also denied that he is racist. He pointed to his partner, who is half Indian, their four children, and executives of all races at his companies.

Does he understand why people loathe him? He shrugged.

“Maybe some people do loathe me, and that’s probably true. I don’t care, but the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter of a billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t.”

He closed with a counterpunch, telling Minton Beddoes that “a lot of people hate you and the media more than you realize.”

The full exchange airs at economist.com Thursday evening.