We do not know if Elon Musk intended to be the most powerful person on the planet when he bought Twitter for $44 billion.
However, after completing the acquisition on October 27, 2022 – on free-speech grounds (and after being forced into the deal by the former leaders of Twitter through a court challenge) – Musk has transformed not only the platform but geopolitics as well. Though one of the most popular figures on X, with over 210 million followers, Musk follows fewer than a thousand people – but they are some of the most influential players in the world.
Posting messages to communicate a thought is one thing; using his platform for advocacy is entirely different. The Left has revered billionaire George Soros and his son for pushing ultra-liberal initiatives globally; now Conservative voices have an able competitor to Soros in Musk – with a megaphone that is multiple times as impactful and transparent.
On Sunday, Musk ran a pinned X poll on his account, ensuring that anyone who clicked on his name would see it at the top of his posts: “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government (Y/N).”
The private poll has no bearing on diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, Musk’s intense campaign during the last two weeks forced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the issue during a press conference. “When the poison of the far-right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book, a line has been crossed.”
Starmer, who served as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from 2008 to 2013, and Jesse Phillips, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Yardley, have been in the news for their decisions regarding inquiries into child sexual exploitation. For years, under both conservative and liberal governments, the UK has embraced immigrants from third-world countries and, to be culturally tolerant has gone out of its way to protect those immigrant communities from discrimination.
Musk has suggested that political correctness or fear of being accused of racism might have influenced the lack of prosecutions. However, this is highly speculative and not substantiated by evidence from official inquiries or reports. Musk alleges that Starmer may have deliberately overlooked these issues to secure political support from specific voter demographics, suggesting a trade-off between justice for victims and political gain. This accusation is part of Musk’s broader critique of Starmer’s integrity and leadership.
The X poll received 600,000 votes, with 71% voting yes and 29% voting no, but over 42 million people viewed the poll. The low participation rate demonstrates that while many American conservatives support Musk and credit him with helping Trump defeat Harris in the 2024 election, they believe that it is not Americans’ place to meddle in the affairs of a foreign government.
Musk has already weighed in on the elections in Germany, as we wrote in a recent editorial when he openly advocated for the ultra-conservative AfD to win next month’s elections. German chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose party is in deep trouble electorally, expressed his displeasure, responding on January 4: “Germany is a strong, stable democracy. Here, the will of the citizens is what counts, not the erratic statements of a billionaire from the USA.” But a close friend and ally of Scholz, French President Macron, was far more critical of Musk’s advocacy, calling it election interference: “Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany?”
Unlike George Soros and his son, who primarily operate secretive networks to fund the elections of civic leaders from local governments and upward to push for their storied liberal causes, Musk is an oversized presence on the global stage whose approval matters. For example, Musk is considered to be close to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, even posting pictures of him having dinner with her on a recent visit to Rome. His friendship resulted in Meloni getting an invitation to visit Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Trump’s Florida estate, where Musk has been reportedly camped out since Election Day. Addressing the gathering, Trump acknowledged her presence: “This is very exciting. I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy. She’s really taken Europe by storm.” In a fractured geopolitical world where many European leaders detest the return of President-elect Trump, Meloni’s friendship with Musk has eased the bilateral relations between Italy and the United States.
Conversely, Musk’s active posting on X to drive debate poses a substantial danger to those closely associated with him. Trump has appointed Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, another billionaire, as co-leaders of DOGE, a government efficiency watchdog with limited authority from Congress or the executive branch.
Initially, Musk posted on X that nearly $500 billion of waste, fraud, and abuse in government expenditures could be saved, reducing federal deficits. His posts got impressive reach; especially among MAGA supporters, who want to bring discipline to American governance. However, even many congressional Republicans who are strong Trump supporters see that DOGE may not live up to expectations, harming Trump as someone who over promised and under delivered.
Senator Ted Cruz: “While I appreciate the intent behind DOGE, the reality is that without a majority in Congress willing to enact these reforms, Musk and Ramaswamy might as well be shouting into the void. Washington’s entrenched interests will not easily yield.”
Representative Jim Jordan: “You can’t just cut spending with a magic wand. Every cut has political consequences, and there are too many in Congress who are more interested in keeping their seats than in cutting the fat. I’m skeptical that DOGE will make a dent.”
Governor Ron DeSantis: “DOGE sounds great on paper, but implementing real change? That’s a different story. The bureaucracy will fight back, and without a fundamental shift in how Congress operates, I see more talk than action.”
Trump takes office in two weeks and has a packed MAGA agenda to execute. Musk must continue playing a crucial role in the success of that agenda. Time will tell if the technocrat has the discipline to recognize the weight of his megaphone and whether he will help or hurt Trump.
TIPP Picks
Selected articles from tippinsights.com And More
1. More Islamist Terrorism Is Coming. We Are Woefully Unprepared. – James Carafano, The Daily Signal
2. Hunter Biden Whistleblower Reveals How Trump Admin Can Break Deep State’s Hold Over IRS, DOJ – Katelynn Richardson, DCNF
3. Biden Enacts Last-Minute Offshore Drilling Ban Across Vast Swath Of US Waters – Nick Pope, DCNF
4. Biden Administration Admits Defeat By Withdrawing 7 Woke Rule Changes – Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal
5. Trump Unveils Strategy to Pass Huge Parts of His Agenda – Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
6. Speaker Johnson’s Next Big Test: Who to Choose as Rules Committee Chairman – George Caldwell, The Daily Signal
7. At Washington Post, Democracy Dies In Historical Revisionism With Whitewash Of Failed Biden Presidency – Peter Parisi, The Daily Signal
8. Chief Justice Reveals Threats To Independence of Judiciary—And Maybe Tips His Hand In TikTok Case? – Zack Smith, The Daily Signal
9. I Disagreed With Jay Bhattacharya About COVID-19. Here’s Why I Support His Nomination for NIH Director. – Andrew Noymer, The Daily Signal
10. The Maximum Pressure Campaign: How Trump Isolated Iran – Alex Alfirraz Scheers, The Daily Signal
11. TRUMP EFFECT? Canadian Prime Minister to Resign After Tariff Threat – Tyler O’Neil, The Daily Signal
12. On The March, School Choice Takes Its Fight From Red, Right To Blue – Vince Bielski, RealClearInvestigations
13. The Climate Agenda’s March Through The Institutions: Can It Be Stopped? – Tilak Doshi, The Daily Signal
14. House Certifies Results Of Trump’s 2024 Election Victory – Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Mediator Qatar Confirms ‘Technical Meetings’ On Gaza Truce Ongoing – AFP
“The technical meetings are still happening between both sides,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said, referring to meetings with lower-level officials on the details of an agreement. “There are no principal meetings taking place at the moment.”
Al-Ansari said there were “a lot of issues that are being discussed” in the ongoing meetings, but declined to go into details “to protect the integrity of the negotiations.”
2. Belarus Rejects Zelenskiy’s Comments on Apology Following Russia’s Invasion – RFE/RL
Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka did not apologize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the days following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a spokeswoman for the authoritarian leader said, disputing recent comments made by Zelenskiy.
“No apologies were made by the Belarusian president to Zelenskiy for the simple reason that we have nothing to apologize for,” spokeswoman Natalia Eismont told Russian media while confirming that a phone call did take place. She was responding to comments made by Zelenskiy during an interview with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman published a day earlier.
3. China’s Social Media Awash With Talk Of Sino-U.S. Friendship – RFA
In China’s tightly controlled social media environment, comments are widely deleted if deemed politically taboo, but also written to order by an army of pro-government commentators hired to deliver “public opinion” that suits the Communist Party’s political priorities.
Comments on the U.S. Embassy’s Weibo social media account are striking an overwhelmingly positive note about Sino-U.S. ties, suggesting the Chinese Communist Party’s “public opinion management” system to send a kinder message ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, analysts said.
4. China’s Millionaires Eye The Exit As Economic Storm Clouds Gather – Al Jazeera
Last year, China saw 13,800 high-net-worth individuals leave the country – a 28 percent rise from 2022 and the most of any country, according to a report by investment migration firm Henley & Partners.
The firm expects a record 15,200 Chinese millionaires to have relocated by the end of 2024.
Sweeping crackdowns on a large number of industries, from tech to finance and private tutoring, have sent jitters through the business world in recent years, as have the disappearances of high-profile businessmen such as Bao Fan.
5. China’s ‘Water-Industrial Complex’ Set Its Sights On Tibet – RFA
China has built an estimated 22,000 large dams – about 40% of the world’s total – to help power several decades of rapid industrialization and economic growth, maxing out the hydropower potential of many rivers. The exception has been the Tibetan plateau.
In 2013, academic Tashi Tsering cataloged a total of 114 dams either built on three major rivers in Tibet or proposed for them. The number of constructed and proposed dams is at least 193 and probably much higher, according to a two-year desktop research project carried out by International Campaign for Tibet, or ICT.
6. Deadly Earthquake Hits Tibet, Tremors Felt In Nepal, India – D.W.
More than 120 people have been killed after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in the Himalayas on Tuesday morning, while almost 200 more were injured in the natural disaster.
The epicenter was about 50 miles northeast of Mount Everest, which straddles the China-Nepal border. Tremors were felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu some 250 miles away.
7. UAE’s DAMAC Properties To Invest $20 Bln In U.S. For Data Centers – Al Arabiya
Hussain Sajwani, the founder of the Dubai-based luxury real estate developer, said the investment could be more if the opportunities in the market afford.
“We’ve been waiting four years to increase our investments in the U.S. to a very large amount of money,” Sajwani said alongside Trump during a press conference in Florida. Sajwani said the $20 billion would go toward data centers catering to AI and cloud businesses.
8. Panama Tells Trump Canal Sovereignty Is ‘Non-Negotiable’ – D.W.
“The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle,” Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said, adding that President Jose Raul Mulino had made his stance clear.
President-elect Trump had made unsubstantiated claims that the Panama Canal — which was built by the United States in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in part in 1977 and in full in 1999 — was now being operated by China. China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the U.S., and is also a major investor in the Central American country, as it is in many parts of the world.
9. France Marks 10 Years Since Charlie Hebdo Attacks – D.W.
France marked the tenth anniversary of the terror attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Tuesday.
Charlie Hebdo released a special edition this week featuring a cartoon with the word “Indestructible!” across the front page. On January 7, 2015, two gunmen entered the offices of Charlie Hebdo on Rue Nicolas-Appert in Paris. The magazine was known for having published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in the past. The shooters killed 12 people and injured 11 others.
10. It’s All About the Crude Oil Insiders Knowing Something We Don’t – Barchart
Oil prices are incredibly cyclical due to the enormous demand for oil during the summer driving season and heating homes during the colder months.
MRCI researched crude oil prices for the past 15 years and found seasonal patterns. The most dominant low, based on seasonality, typically occurs during the latter part of December and continues into early May. Each year in the U.S., Memorial Day weekend in May begins the summer driving season. After a winter of being confined indoors, consumers are ready for family vacations and getaways.
As a crucial reminder, while seasonal patterns can provide valuable insights, they should not be the only basis for trading decisions.
11. Divisive Study Finds Link Between Fluoride And Childhood IQ Loss – AFP
A controversial new study in a U.S. medical journal could reignite debate over fluoride’s safety in water, linking higher exposure levels to lower IQ in children.
Published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, it has sparked pushback from some scientists who criticize the study’s methods, defend the mineral’s proven dental benefits, and warn the findings may not directly apply to typical U.S. water fluoridation levels.
President-elect Donald Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is a vocal critic of fluoridated water, which currently serves over 200 million Americans, or nearly two-thirds of the population.
12. U.S. Surgeon General Offers ‘Parting Prescription’ To Heal America’s Division – UPI Health
“As I finish my tenure as Surgeon General, this is my parting prescription, my final wish for all of us: Choose community,” Murthy urged after hearing from thousands who shared their stories.
“With every conversation, I saw the stakes more clearly: The fracturing of community in America is driving a deeper spiritual crisis that threatens our fundamental well-being,” Murthy wrote in his 32-page prescription. “It is fueling not only illness and despair on an individual level but also pessimism and distrust across society, which have all made it painfully difficult to rise together in response to common challenges.”
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
