Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of social media network X and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, poses a threat to democracies, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Monday.
“Elon Musk is creating a threat to democracies,” Bayrou said in a local TV interview. “Money should not give the right to rule consciences.”
Bayrou’s comments about Musk come after he warned last week that France and Europe as a whole would have to stand up to Trump and his policies, or risk being “dominated … crushed … marginalised.”
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the world’s richest person, has shown a willingness to weigh in on foreign political issues. He has endorsed a German anti-immigration party ahead of elections slated in February, and has repeatedly commented on British politics, demanding Prime Minister Keir Starmer resign.