Opinion: Taxpayer-Funded Elon Musk Plans to Use X to Push Hard Right Political Ads

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino’s lad Matt Madrazo is successful complaint of monetizing Twitter’s hard-right crook with a hoped for $100 cardinal successful governmental ads to power U.S. elections successful 1 direction, adjacent arsenic Elon Musk takes billions from U.S. taxpayers.

As Elon Musk’s embattled takeover of Twitter continues to marque antagonistic headlines owed to its amplification of bigotry, racism and antisemitism, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has been warned to resign. It mightiness not beryllium truthful elemental for her, though. Semafor’s Max Tani pointed retired that her lad Matt Madrazo is “running X’s efforts to monetize its hard-right crook by making it — they anticipation — a $100 cardinal destination for governmental ads.”

As Elon was showing the satellite who helium is by agreeing outright with unsafe antisemitic tropes, Media Matters reported that ads from IBM and others were appearing connected contented promoting Nazis and different hate. The combined hits made it intolerable for large companies to disregard the information to the brands, truthful they paused oregon pulled their advertisement spends connected the level formerly known arsenic Twitter.

The concern escalated to the constituent of Kelsey D. Atherton, the Chief Editor astatine the Center for International Policy, penning an sentiment portion declaring Musk’s antisemitism a menace to U.S. nationalist security. It is simply a portion that is hard to reason against if 1 is adjacent remotely acquainted with history.

In cases it wasn’t wide wherever Musk stands connected “freedom” and basal principles of democracy, Musk, who sells himself arsenic a escaped code absolutist, threatened a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against Media Matters, alleging their information was fraudulent — though anyone who spends 10 minutes connected X tin corroborate that hatred is being monetized and shown adjacent to firm ads. He followed that up implicit the play by agreeing with erstwhile Trump advisor Stephen Miller’s proposition that “fraud” was some a transgression and civilian usurpation and that blimpish Attorney Generals should beryllium prosecuting researchers and journalists.

Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey appeared to agree to assistance Musk successful his efforts to soundlessness Media Matters.

The White House condemned Musk’s behavior, but hasn’t gone truthful acold arsenic to publically task agencies with whom helium has ample payer funded contracts to reassess those contracts. NASA conscionable re-upped Space X’s declaration for $1.23 cardinal dollars for 10 rocket launches. Over the weekend, SpaceX’s Starship 2nd motorboat failed soon aft reaching space, successful what was seen arsenic a “potentially large setback for NASA.”

If Musk’s program to crook X into a right-wing governmental instrumentality truly does see the conception that it volition marque up for large advertisement companies by getting $100 cardinal successful governmental ads from close helping money, it mightiness not beryllium a atrocious gamble. The Republican broadside of the aisle is overflowing with endless currency from billionaires, oligarchs, overseas hostile powers, and different distasteful anti-democracy forces with wealth to burn.

But Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ “whopping $211 cardinal for his authorities governmental committee and acceptable an all-time grounds for gubernatorial fundraising” successful 2022, a ample magnitude of which Mother Jones says “has gone into boosting his statesmanlike bid—perhaps illegally,” hasn’t been capable to rescue him connected the nationalist stage, but it does beryllium that agenda-laden SuperPACs tin bargain propaganda and rise the level of their chosen puppet — a feat with which the different broadside of the aisle is frankly not susceptible of competing.

Dark wealth from nefarious sources trying to power our elections seems to beryllium the economical program for Elon Musk’s X, which is connected marque for him adjacent arsenic helium collects billions from U.S. taxpayers successful cushy authorities contracts, subsidies and more.

It begs the question: Why are U.S. taxpayers backing a deliberate effort to power elections successful 1 direction, a absorption which not lone is one-sided but is anti-democratic to the constituent of being blatantly autocratic.

While Twitter/X is simply a backstage institution nether Elon and tin propulsion immoderate governmental docket it wishes, the information that it cannot wage its ain bills close present with its ain gross and is truthful being propped up with wealth from its proprietor and allies highlights the information that its proprietor is enriched to the constituent of being the world’s richest antheral with a large magnitude of what the Right calls “handouts” from U.S. taxpayers.

Some of what Elon Musk is being paid for by the U.S. payer includes spy satellites and different powers that necessitate a steady, trustworthy hand. We are near to wonderment wherefore the government, including NASA and the Department of Defense, proceed their subservience to him. Is winning the abstraction contention worthy losing the spot of citizens and endangering our elections adjacent much than they are already endangered?

If that’s not capable crushed to question the presumption quo, Musk admits helium is microdosing the dissociative cause ketamine (in what does not look to beryllium clinically directed and if it is, whoever is successful complaint of that attraction program should explicate themselves to their governing body), helium is reported to person occupation dealing with the disapproval and vocal disapproval he’s received to the constituent that Twitter employees considered calling successful a wellness cheque connected him aft helium locked himself successful an office.

And helium is present threatening to prosecute journalists for doing their job. Yes, others person tried to writer journalists and publications, but Musk is present proclaiming he’d similar to marque it transgression to study connected his level successful a mode that helium doesn’t find appropriate. In this instance, Musk is attacking a cardinal tenet of state that is protected successful our constitution. He is getting assistance from Republican elected officials successful this effort. In nary mode should helium beryllium supported by payer funds astatine this point.

Elon Musk has been signaling his efforts to onslaught U.S. ideology for implicit a twelvemonth now, and helium has interfered successful U.S. overseas argumentation with moves that helped Putin successful his warfare connected Ukraine. The concern is rapidly becoming untenable, with a situation looming and seemingly nary 1 consenting to halt it.