The billionaire philanthrope Bill Gates has raised concerns about Elon Musk’s growing political influence in several countries, calling it “crazy” that the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has the power to destabilize political situations worldwide .
In an interview with The Times UK, Gates criticized Musk’s recent interventions in British and German politics, arguing that super rich foreigners should not be able to manipulate the elections.
“It’s really crazy that he can destabilize political situations in countries,” said Gates.
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Musk made waves in British politics by publicly calling for the abolition of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The billionaire accused Starmer of not prevented the rape of young girls when he was a British prosecutor from 2008 to 2013, an assertion which sparked indignation and was rejected as misleading and inflammatory by political analysts.
In Germany, Musk threw his support behind the extreme right alternative for Germany (AFD). On Saturday, he spoke practically during an AFD campaign rally, supporting his platform before the country’s national elections in the country.
In December, Musk wrote an editorial at Welt Am Sonntag, a great German newspaper, praising AFD as “the last spark of hope for this country” and approving their hard position on immigration – a key problem in the landscape German policy.
South America too
But Musk’s political footprint is not limited to Europe – he also shaped political discourse in South America, defending himself with right -wing governments and difficult left leaders.
In Brazil, Musk clashed with the left president Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, accusing him of censorship and authoritarianism.
Lula’s government has investigated false news and disinformation has spread on social networks, which encouraged Musk to accuse him of trying to silence political opponents.
In April 2024, Musk publicly challenged the Supreme Court of Brazil, refusing to comply with a decision which ordered the deletion of the accounts accused of having propagated disinformation and extremist content. Musk went to X, qualifying the actions of the Court a violation of freedom of expression, and openly declared that he would not obey the ordinances.
Musk’s challenge fueled the tensions between the judicial power of Brazil and his company, judge Alexandre de Moraes slamming a ban and a fine on X.
Musk has also become a fervent supporter of the new Argentinian right president, Javier Milei, who was elected in 2023.
Milei, an self -proclaimed and faithful libertarian opponent of socialism, made comparisons with American president Donald Trump. He undertook to dismantle the providence of Argentina, to reduce public spending and to implement radical reforms on the free market – a program that aligns with Musk’s opinions on the intervention of the intervention of government.
Shortly after the Milei elections, Musk congratulated him on X, describing his victory as “a great victory for the inhabitants of Argentina”. Musk also met the Milei team, apparently discussing economic policies and the potential for Tesla to expand operations in Argentina, a country rich in lithium reserves – an essential element for Tesla electric vehicle batteries.
Milei Musk approval was considered to be part of its broader support for right -wing populist movements in the world, in particular those who argue for deregulation, free markets and a hard position against left governance.
Gates calls for more strict guarantees against the influence of foreign billionaires
In this context, Gates told Times that Musk’s growing political participation was deeply worrying, urging governments to adopt stronger guarantees against foreign billionaires influencing elections.
“I think that in the United States, foreigners are not allowed to give money,” said Gates. “Other countries should perhaps adopt guarantees to ensure that super rich foreigners do not distort their elections.”
Musk’s political maneuvers have made comparisons with media magnates like Rupert Murdoch, who used their influence to shape political results worldwide.
Musk’s growing commitment in global policy has been amplified by its growing alliance with Trump.
After the victory of Trump’s re -election in November, Musk became an informal advisor, participating in calls with world leaders, including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. He was also appointed to lead the new Ministry of Government (DOGE) to Trump, a commission designed to reduce public spending and eliminate regulations.
Musk was a main donor in Trump campaign, spent at least $ 277 million to support Trump and other republican candidates in 2024. His financial and ideological alignment on right -wing populist movements in different countries suggests a coordinated effort To move global policy towards deregulation, nationalism and surveillance of the limited government.
Musk remains shameless as global political tensions increase
While Bill Gates expressed his alarm in the face of Musk’s growing political influence, Musk has shown no signs of safeguard.
To question the leftist leaders in South America to approve it right-wing movements in Europe and the United States, Musk positioned himself as a political disruptor-withdrawing his vast wealth, his social media platform And its influence on emerging industries to reshape global policy.
His criticisms argue that his interventions are reckless and selfish, designed to protect her commercial interests while advancing a political ideology that benefits billionaires and corporate elites.
“I thought that the rules of the game were that you chose a finite number of things to play that you have cared, focused on a few critical things, rather than saying to the people they should vote for,” Gates said.
“If someone is super intelligent, and he is, he must think how he can help. But it’s a moving populist, “added Gates.
The supporters, however, see him as a champion of freedom of expression and deregulation, without fear of contesting the status quo.
