European backlash grows against billionaire ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Monday he found it “worrying” that a billionaire social media owner like Elon Musk is inserting himself into the politics of other countries.
Musk, a key ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has been on a social media rampage over the holidays, endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, repeatedly denouncing the U.K.’s Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer and even torpedoing his relationship with British hard-right chief Nigel Farage.
“I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and large financial resources is so directly involved in the internal affairs of other countries. This is not how it should be between democracies and allies,” Støre told public broadcaster NRK.
Støre was responding to a question on whether he is worried about potential interference from Musk in Norwegian elections.
“If we were to see it in Norway, I hope and assume that a united Norwegian political environment would warn and distance itself from it,” Støre added.
Støre’s comments are part of a mainstream political backlash against Musk, in which German political leaders have argued that the Tesla entrepreneur’s AfD endorsement amounted to election interference.
Musk has announced he will hold a live discussion this week with the AfD’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, on X ahead of Germany’s snap election on Feb. 23.
