The Japan Times - From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics

At a recent Trump rally in Pennsylvania, the world's richest man bounded onto stage with pogo-like energy, sparking a torrent of memes on social media and driving engagement on X, the platform he owns.

The following day, Musk leaned into his provocative persona during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, laughing that Vice President Kamala Harris had not faced assassination attempts and expressing concern about his own future.

"If (Trump) loses, I'm fucked," Musk quipped, still chuckling.

Musk is "all-in" for the former president as the US election enters its final stretch.

He's poured tens of millions of dollars into the campaign and is positioned for a key role in a second Trump administration, where the former president has said he will be tasked with ripping up government bureaucracy and firing civil servants.

Observers point to various factors behind Musk's hard turn to the right.

Some highlight his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa, suggesting it influences his views on immigration and demographic change.

Musk frequently argues, without evidence, that an influx of undocumented immigrants threatens US democracy, echoing the "Great Replacement" theory prevalent among many whites in his childhood South Africa.

"The white South African nightmare in the 1980s, hanging over everything, was that one day Black people would rise up and massacre whites," wrote essayist Simon Kuper in the Financial Times.

More recent personal experiences also appear to have shaped Musk's politics.

In 2022, his daughter Vivian, then aged 18, legally changed her name and gender.

Musk later claimed his child was "killed" by the "woke mind virus" instilled at an elite California school, marking a significant hardening of his political stance.

Musk's business interests may also help explain his allegiance to Trump.

His companies operate in highly regulated industries and have frequently clashed with authorities.

Tech analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group suggests that in a Trump White House, Musk might even "be in charge of his own oversight, giving him the potential power to do anything he wanted."

- X at your service? -

The billionaire's influence extends beyond his wealth.

Musk uses his X account, with more than 200 million followers, to amplify misinformation and controversial narratives that align with Trump's campaign messaging.

The platform's light-touch content moderation allows Trump-backed distortions and lies to thrive that might be restricted on other social media sites.

"It's very different to have a figure like Musk who owns a social media platform, versus him just being out there as his own individual," said Sophie Bjork-James, assistant professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University.

"Musk is helping to mainstream these racist conspiracy theories and bring in mainly white men who may either be disengaged or former political liberals."

In a recent get-out-the-vote initiative, Musk's America super PAC, a political action committee, promised to pay $47 to anyone who gets a registered swing-state voter to sign a petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms.

"Easy money," Musk posted about the potentially multi-million-dollar effort.

- 'King of the world' -

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, summarized Musk's political toolkit: "Musk's influence is money, his super PAC and X. He's not shy about using all three to push Trump — and even push misrepresentations and falsehoods that help Trump."

For supporters, Musk's political involvement is an extension of his successful track record with companies like SpaceX, which now plays a central role in the US space program.

"In almost every case, Musk's innovations paralleled things the government was trying to do, but he did it better," Youngstown State University political science professor Paul Sracic told the Washington Examiner.

But Musk's political stance is affecting public perception of his businesses.

Mark Hass, an Arizona State University professor who has advised major corporations, noted that driving a Tesla is no longer "the first choice if you want to demonstrate your environmental bona fides, because of his association with Trump."

As the 2024 election approaches, Musk's political evolution represents a new force in American politics: a tech titan with vast wealth, media influence and authoritarian leanings, Hass added.

His actions in the coming weeks could significantly affect both the election outcome and the future landscape of politics.

Musk could become a "king of the world," said Hass.

K.Yamaguchi--JT