How did Musk and Carlson become the famous duo of right-wing propaganda?
On Monday and Tuesday, Fox News's Tucker Carlson will air a lengthy interview with Elon Musk, expected to provide insight into the typically private billionaire. However, this is far from the truth. Musk frequently shares his unfiltered thoughts on Twitter, a platform he purchased for $44 billion in 2022, and those who have followed his tweets over the past year know that he and Carlson share many of the same views and theories. The interview will likely consist of the two friends bonding over their shared beliefs while criticizing Democrats and the mainstream media. In a preview clip, they laugh about Musk removing the New York Times' verification badge on Twitter and referring to their feed as "diarrhea."
This close friendship has been developing for several months, resulting from Musk's move toward right-wing propaganda. How did this come to be?
Historically, Elon Musk has portrayed himself as a political moderate, donating to Republican and Democratic parties while Tesla and SpaceX lobbied all sides in Washington. In 2014, he even identified as "half Republican, half Democrat." However, under the Biden administration, he has become increasingly partisan. He has accused President Biden of ignoring Tesla and referred to him as a "damp sock puppet." Musk also opposes Democrats' proposals to increase taxes on billionaires, has clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ron Wyden on Twitter, and is against Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
Musk's growing involvement in the broader culture war, driven mainly by his ownership of Twitter, has brought him closer to Tucker Carlson. When Musk announced plans to acquire Twitter in April 2022, Carlson praised the move as a win for free speech and claimed that "tyrants" were grieving over the news. This validated the notion that Musk was fighting against censorship by Big Tech. Carlson even tweeted for the first time since being suspended from Twitter for a transphobic tweet the previous month, claiming, "We're back," despite Musk not having the power to reinstate him then. Carlson deleted the tweet that got him banned, despite claiming he never would.
As the acquisition of Twitter drew closer, Musk continued to make controversial statements on his Twitter account, earning the approval of the far-right. He shared a cartoon suggesting that his conservative views responded to the left's move towards progressive ideology, announced that he would vote Republican, and commented about a "woke mind virus." He also criticized the use of preferred pronouns and shared transphobic memes, which further endeared him to far-right trolls. Musk even reinstated the accounts of Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others who had been banned for spreading misinformation. He also shared a fake story about a home invasion and assault that left Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with serious injuries. These actions played into Tucker Carlson's narrative of Twitter being freed from political bias.
Musk's increasing involvement in right-wing politics and culture wars has drawn criticism from some quarters, including former employees of SpaceX and Tesla who have accused him of creating a hostile work environment for people of color and women. In response, Musk has dismissed the allegations as baseless and blamed "cancel culture" for attempts to hold him accountable. Some have also raised concerns about the impact of Musk's rhetoric on his millions of followers on social media, particularly regarding issues like Covid-19 vaccines and climate change.
Despite these controversies, Musk remains a highly influential figure in tech and business. His companies continue to push the boundaries of innovation in areas like electric vehicles, space exploration, and renewable energy. However, his growing involvement in right-wing politics and culture wars raises questions about the role of tech billionaires in shaping public discourse and political outcomes and the potential consequences of their actions for democracy and social justice.
It concerns that Musk and Carlson have grown closely aligned, especially given Carlson's history of promoting conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation. Musk's acceptance of Carlson's revisionist history of the Jan. 6 insurrection, debunked by independent fact-checkers and law enforcement officials, is particularly troubling. Musk's amplification of false claims about Jan. 6 and his embrace of far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories raise questions about his judgment and commitment to truth and responsible leadership. Leaders in the public sphere need to prioritize accuracy, fairness, and accountable discourse rather than spreading falsehoods and conspiracy theories that undermine public trust and democratic norms.
It appears that Musk and Carlson have developed a close relationship, with Musk endorsing Carlson's revisionist history of the Jan. 6 insurrection and Carlson praising Musk's actions as CEO of Twitter, such as appending an inaccurate "state-affiliated media" label to National Public Radio's Twitter account. Musk has also eagerly accepted Carlson's conspiracy theories and revisionist narratives, such as Carlson's claim that pre-Musk Twitter was infested with U.S. intelligence agents potentially spying on private messages. It remains to be seen what will come from their upcoming interview, but based on their past interactions, it seems unlikely that Carlson will ask any hardball questions or challenge Musk's statements.
Musk and Carlson seem aligned on many issues, particularly those related to conservative and far-right viewpoints. Musk has been promoting anti-LGBTQ sentiment, spreading false information, and promoting white supremacist tropes, while Carlson has been giving airtime to revisionist history and conspiracy theories. Musk's trans daughter has even taken legal steps to sever ties with him due to his comments on gender identity. Despite Carlson's rhetoric against elites, he and Musk seem to agree on many issues, and it's unclear if they disagree on anything.
On Monday and Tuesday, Fox News's Tucker Carlson will air a lengthy interview with Elon Musk, expected to provide insight into the typically private billionaire. However, this is far from the truth. Musk frequently shares his unfiltered thoughts on Twitter, a platform he purchased for $44 billion in 2022, and those who have followed his tweets over the past year know that he and Carlson share many of the same views and theories. The interview will likely consist of the two friends bonding over their shared beliefs while criticizing Democrats and the mainstream media. In a preview clip, they laugh about Musk removing the New York Times' verification badge on Twitter and referring to their feed as "diarrhea."
This close friendship has been developing for several months, resulting from Musk's move toward right-wing propaganda. How did this come to be?
Historically, Elon Musk has portrayed himself as a political moderate, donating to Republican and Democratic parties while Tesla and SpaceX lobbied all sides in Washington. In 2014, he even identified as "half Republican, half Democrat." However, under the Biden administration, he has become increasingly partisan. He has accused President Biden of ignoring Tesla and referred to him as a "damp sock puppet." Musk also opposes Democrats' proposals to increase taxes on billionaires, has clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ron Wyden on Twitter, and is against Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
Musk's growing involvement in the broader culture war, driven mainly by his ownership of Twitter, has brought him closer to Tucker Carlson. When Musk announced plans to acquire Twitter in April 2022, Carlson praised the move as a win for free speech and claimed that "tyrants" were grieving over the news. This validated the notion that Musk was fighting against censorship by Big Tech. Carlson even tweeted for the first time since being suspended from Twitter for a transphobic tweet the previous month, claiming, "We're back," despite Musk not having the power to reinstate him then. Carlson deleted the tweet that got him banned, despite claiming he never would.
As the acquisition of Twitter drew closer, Musk continued to make controversial statements on his Twitter account, earning the approval of the far-right. He shared a cartoon suggesting that his conservative views responded to the left's move towards progressive ideology, announced that he would vote Republican, and commented about a "woke mind virus." He also criticized the use of preferred pronouns and shared transphobic memes, which further endeared him to far-right trolls. Musk even reinstated the accounts of Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others who had been banned for spreading misinformation. He also shared a fake story about a home invasion and assault that left Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with serious injuries. These actions played into Tucker Carlson's narrative of Twitter being freed from political bias.
Musk's increasing involvement in right-wing politics and culture wars has drawn criticism from some quarters, including former employees of SpaceX and Tesla who have accused him of creating a hostile work environment for people of color and women. In response, Musk has dismissed the allegations as baseless and blamed "cancel culture" for attempts to hold him accountable. Some have also raised concerns about the impact of Musk's rhetoric on his millions of followers on social media, particularly regarding issues like Covid-19 vaccines and climate change.
Despite these controversies, Musk remains a highly influential figure in tech and business. His companies continue to push the boundaries of innovation in areas like electric vehicles, space exploration, and renewable energy. However, his growing involvement in right-wing politics and culture wars raises questions about the role of tech billionaires in shaping public discourse and political outcomes and the potential consequences of their actions for democracy and social justice.
It concerns that Musk and Carlson have grown closely aligned, especially given Carlson's history of promoting conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation. Musk's acceptance of Carlson's revisionist history of the Jan. 6 insurrection, debunked by independent fact-checkers and law enforcement officials, is particularly troubling. Musk's amplification of false claims about Jan. 6 and his embrace of far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories raise questions about his judgment and commitment to truth and responsible leadership. Leaders in the public sphere need to prioritize accuracy, fairness, and accountable discourse rather than spreading falsehoods and conspiracy theories that undermine public trust and democratic norms.
It appears that Musk and Carlson have developed a close relationship, with Musk endorsing Carlson's revisionist history of the Jan. 6 insurrection and Carlson praising Musk's actions as CEO of Twitter, such as appending an inaccurate "state-affiliated media" label to National Public Radio's Twitter account. Musk has also eagerly accepted Carlson's conspiracy theories and revisionist narratives, such as Carlson's claim that pre-Musk Twitter was infested with U.S. intelligence agents potentially spying on private messages. It remains to be seen what will come from their upcoming interview, but based on their past interactions, it seems unlikely that Carlson will ask any hardball questions or challenge Musk's statements.
Musk and Carlson seem aligned on many issues, particularly those related to conservative and far-right viewpoints. Musk has been promoting anti-LGBTQ sentiment, spreading false information, and promoting white supremacist tropes, while Carlson has been giving airtime to revisionist history and conspiracy theories. Musk's trans daughter has even taken legal steps to sever ties with him due to his comments on gender identity. Despite Carlson's rhetoric against elites, he and Musk seem to agree on many issues, and it's unclear if they disagree on anything.