Elon Musk may have fallen from political favour in Washington DC, but as he seeks to build a new political party, his influence on X — where he commands the most-followed account — remains unchecked.
He has used his vast reach to cultivate hard-right politicians and activists across Europe, according to an Associated Press analysis of public data.
It has also fueled concerns in Europe about foreign meddling – not from Russia or China, but from the United States.
The Associated Press analysed more than 20,000 posts, which were compiled by Bright Data, over a three-year period from a sample of 11 European figures who had significant interactions with Musk and frequently promote a hard-right political or social agenda.
A game of retweets
Musk has sweeping power to direct attention on X. Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Elon Musk’s followers have more than doubled, to over 220 million. No other large account has shown such high or consistent growth.
The accounts Musk has been promoting are part of a growing global alliance of nationalistic parties and individuals united in common cause to halt migration, overturn progressive policies and promote an absolutist vision of free speech.
Several of the accounts AP analysed belong to people who have faced allegations of illegal behaviour in their own countries.
Tommy Robinson, an anti-immigrant agitator in the UK, was sentenced in October to 18 months in prison for violating a court order blocking him from making libellous allegations against a Syrian refugee.
Bjoern Hoecke, a politician from Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party, was convicted last year of knowingly using a Nazi slogan in a speech.
Italian vice premier Matteo Salvini was acquitted in December of allegations he illegally detained 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship.
Other people promoted by Musk include:
Alice Weidel, who helped lead Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party to its best electoral showing this year
Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a Dutch influencer known as the “shieldmaiden of the far-right”
Naomi Seibt, a German activist dubbed the “anti-Greta Thunberg”, now living in what amounts to political exile in Washington DC
Rubén Pulido and Foro Madrid, both associated with Spain’s populist Vox party
Fidias Panayioutou, a politician from the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, who has also advocated for Musk’s companies
These accounts collectively gained roughly 5 million followers from the time Musk took over Twitter in October 2022 through January of this year.
