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Elon Musk, the Shadow President · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
• 0:04
  Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
• 0:07
  the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
• 0:11
  Boring Company, and Neurolink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
• 0:15
  So what role is Elon Musk playing in shaping US foreign
• 0:19
  policy under Trump's incoming administration?
• 0:21
  And how is Musk's outspoken support for controversial
• 0:25
  political movements abroad affecting global relations?
• 0:29
  Could Musk's extensive business interests pose conflicts of
• 0:33
  interest as he moves closer to the center of power in the
• 0:37
  United States? Elon sparked global controversy
• 0:41
  this week calling for the resignation of German Chancellor
• 0:45
  Olaf Scholes in the aftermath of a deadly attack at a Christmas
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  market in Magdeburg, Germany. Now Musk's statement, made on
• 0:53
  his Platform X, criticize goals as an incompetent fool and
• 0:58
  question the leadership of Europe's largest economy.
• 1:01
  The attack, which involved a car ramming into a crowd, left at
• 1:05
  least 2 dead and dozens injured, according to German officials.
• 1:09
  Musk's remark immediately drew both condemnation and applause,
• 1:13
  underscoring his increasingly polarizing role now.
• 1:17
  Adding fuel to this fire, Musk also voiced support for
• 1:20
  Germany's far right Alternative for Germany Afd party.
• 1:24
  Only the Afd can save Germany. Musk set on X.
• 1:27
  The FDA nationalist party with anti immigration policies, has
• 1:31
  surged in German opinion polls but remains shunned by
• 1:35
  mainstream parties. Germany is set to hold elections
• 1:38
  on February 23rd following the collapse, which calls coalition
• 1:42
  government and Musk's endorsement Miss Sparke heated
• 1:45
  debate about foreign influence in domestic politics.
• 1:48
  It declined to offer any further comment.
• 1:51
  We reached out. We couldn't get a hold of them.
• 1:53
  They wouldn't comment. This is not Musk's first foray
• 1:55
  into European politics. Last year, he harshly criticized
• 1:58
  Germany's handling of migration issues and more recently called
• 2:02
  for the dismissal of Italian judges over rulings that
• 2:05
  questions the legality of government measures against
• 2:07
  irregular immigration. These instances shows that Elon
• 2:12
  Musk has broader alignment with far right movements in Europe,
• 2:15
  further polarizing public opinion, but his involvement in
• 2:19
  global political affairs. Back in the United States,
• 2:22
  Musk's proximity to president-elect Donald Trump and
• 2:25
  his apparent influence on the incoming administration have
• 2:27
  alarmed everybody on the left. Since November, Musk has been a
• 2:32
  regular fixture at Trump's Mar A Lago estate, attending meetings
• 2:36
  with foreign leaders and playing a prominent role in
• 2:38
  international discussions. Notably, Musk accompanied Trump
• 2:42
  on his first post election foreign trip to Paris, where he
• 2:45
  met President Emmanuel Macron during the ceremonial reopening
• 2:50
  of Notre Dame. He has also praised Italy's
• 2:52
  Prime Minister Georgia Malani, calling her a precious genius in
• 2:57
  public remarks at a black tie event in New York.
• 3:01
  Now, perhaps most concerning to critics was Musk's participation
• 3:05
  in Trump's initial call with Ukrainian President Vladimir
• 3:10
  Zelensky after the election. Now, such instances have raised
• 3:13
  question to most Musk's potential to shape US foreign
• 3:17
  policy, given his extensive global business interest,
• 3:20
  particularly in China. The Tesla, Musk's electric
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  vehicle company, as we all know, operates a massive Gigafactory
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  in Shanghai and relies heavily on the Chinese market, which
• 3:32
  accounts for a substantial portion of its production and
• 3:35
  sales. Musk's ties to Chinese President
• 3:40
  Xi Jinping, with whom he reportedly dined during XI's
• 3:44
  2023 US visit, have deepened suspicions of potential
• 3:48
  conflicts of interest. Concerns are particularly
• 3:51
  heightened by Musk's $15 billion in federal contracts, including
• 3:55
  with NASA and the Pentagon, which depend on SpaceX for
• 3:59
  rocket launches and Starling satellite services critical to
• 4:02
  U.S. military operations. The Pentagon is reportedly
• 4:05
  investigating whether Musk has adhered to disclosure
• 4:08
  requirements related to his top secret security clearance, which
• 4:12
  mandates reporting meetings with foreign officials.
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  Musk's defenders, though, however, argue that his close
• 4:18
  ties to Trump represent a bold opportunity to streamline
• 4:21
  government and improve efficiency.
• 4:23
  Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Trump's transition team,
• 4:26
  dismissed concerns over Musk's potential conflicts of interest,
• 4:30
  describing him as a What's in a Generation Business leader whose
• 4:34
  ideas could benefit federal bureaucracy.
• 4:37
  Now, Musk's prospective role in recommending major cuts to
• 4:41
  government jobs has further fueled debate, with critics
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  warning of the ethical risks tied to his dual role as a
• 4:48
  businessman and informal policy maker.
• 4:51
  Now on Capitol Hill, skepticism is mounting.
• 4:54
  Outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben
• 4:57
  Cardin criticized Musk's involvement, stating his
• 5:00
  association with the president-elect has already
• 5:03
  profited him. A question whether Musk's
• 5:05
  private dealings in China and everywhere else could compromise
• 5:09
  his objectivity in advising Trump on foreign policy.
• 5:13
  They said I don't want a transactional person who's going
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  into a country to see if he can make a deal.
• 5:20
  Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, speaking cautiously on
• 5:23
  the matter, emphasized the importance of maintaining a
• 5:25
  smooth transition to power, though did not directly address
• 5:29
  Musk's role, but acknowledged it that communications between the
• 5:33
  outgoing and incoming administrations are essential
• 5:35
  for ensuring stability. But Musk's presence in these
• 5:39
  high level interactions, coupled with his outspoken support for
• 5:43
  some far righter movements, sparked unease among both
• 5:47
  domestic and international observers.
• 5:50
  Now in the UK, Musk similarly made waves by criticizing Prime
• 5:55
  Minister Kier Starman, labeling Britain a tyrannical police
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  state and endorsing calls for a new election.
• 6:03
  His comments came amid escalating tensions in the
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  country following days of far right violence.
• 6:08
  Musk further stoked controversy by promoting a video from a
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  jailed far right activist and predicting that the country was
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  on the brink of civil war. Musk's global reach, bolstered
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  by his vast wealth and high profile business ventures, has
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  allowed him to amplify his political opinions in ways that
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  few private citizens have ever done.
• 6:28
  This influence was on full display in the United States
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  earlier this month when Musk played a key role in derailing a
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  funding bill. Some Republicans, impressed by
• 6:36
  Musk's political maneuvering, have even suggested he should be
• 6:39
  made speaker of the House. However, critics worry that Musk
• 6:43
  is assuming an unofficial role akin to a shadow president,
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  raising thorny questions about the concentration of power and
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  integrity of democratic governance.
• 6:53
  But despite the controversy, Musk shows no signs of
• 6:57
  retreating from his political advocacy.
• 6:59
  On Friday, Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's right wing
• 7:03
  Reform UK party, revealed that he had met with Musk at Trump's
• 7:06
  Florida residents to discuss financial support for the party.
• 7:10
  The post, which included a photo of himself with Musk, fueled
• 7:13
  speculation about the billionaire's intentions to fund
• 7:16
  far right movements worldwide. But Musk influence will continue
• 7:21
  to grow. His actions continued to blur
• 7:23
  the lines between business and politics, and its detractors
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  argue that his dual role as a global entrepreneur and
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  political advisor presents unprecedented ethical
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  challenges, while supporters hail him as a disruptor capable
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  of bringing fresh perspectives to governance.
• 7:40
  Whether Musk's moves will yield positive change or further
• 7:44
  Discord remains to be seen, but the scrutiny surrounding his
• 7:48
  every move weights on his growing impact on the global
• 7:52
  stage. Speaking of Discord, I want to
• 7:55
  say thank you for everybody who's joined the Discord server
• 7:57
  so far. There's a link to our Discord in
• 8:00
  the show notes. Please take a look at that.
• 8:02
  Come join the conversation. Talk about Elon Musk, Tesla,
• 8:06
  SpaceX, Boring Company, Neuralink.
• 8:09
  Check out our Discord down below and join the fun.
• 8:17
  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
• 8:19
  I really do appreciate your support.
• 8:21
  If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow
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  button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening
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  on right now, I greatly appreciate it.
• 8:28
  It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never
• 8:31
  miss an episode. And each episode is about 10
• 8:34
  minutes or less to get you caught up quickly.
• 8:37
  And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
• 8:40
  to patreon.com/stagezero and please take care of yourselves
• 8:45
  and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.