Elon Musk clashed with The Economist's editor-in-chief during an interview at Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas, defending his political influence in Europe after being questioned about his role in shaping conservative movements abroad.
Editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes challenged Musk over his support for European political movements, noting that his wealth, ownership of X, and massive online following give him significant political sway despite living outside the region. "Why should you be able to shape European politics? You don't even live there," Beddoes asked, suggesting his influence troubles many people. "It's why people loathe you. I mean, some people do loathe you."
Musk countered that public distrust of the media exceeds negative views of him. He cited his roughly 250 million X followers as evidence his supporters outnumber critics. "Maybe some people do loathe me, and that's probably true. I don't care. But the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don't," He said.
He then argued that journalists face worse public perception than he does. "Do you realize the media is despised? Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists is like, it's like a favorable view of journalists is like 15%?" Musk said.
Beddoes acknowledged journalism has made mistakes but argued social media polarization, particularly content on X, has fueled public distrust. Musk rejected this, stating: "The shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me. I think you're the problem. The media."
The exchange occurred during broader discussion of Musk's political activities, including warnings about potential civil war in Britain and his support for European political parties Beddoes characterized as far right. Musk denied this description, saying his positions center on border enforcement, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. "I literally said, look, I believe in safe cities, secure borders and sensible spending with respect to government. That doesn't make me right wing at all in the least," He said.
Musk has actively promoted European politics, publicly supporting Germany's Alternative for Germany party ahead of its 2025 federal election and hosting its leader for an interview on X. According to a 2025 Gallup poll, 28% of Americans trust newspapers, television, and radio to report news fully and fairly - the lowest level Gallup has recorded.