From a Canadian perspective, president-elect Donald Trump’s recent declarations about Canada’s sovereignty and the imposition of a 25% tariff on the country’s imports are bad enough. What is even more worrisome is the rise of Elon Musk’s influence in Trump’s circles. During the election, all of Musk’s posts traveled further and resounded more widely than ever. Mr. Musk’s X account began to dominate the platform, effectively making him the host of his own social media site. More recently, he has a perch as Trump’s apparent right-hand man, even weighing in on his possible Cabinet choices and joining his conversations with global leaders. One has to wonder what the role of J.D. Vance will be?
Internationally, Musk has begun an on-line and in-person campaign to try to influence foreign political parties’ policies. Most notably, he has posted support for the policies of far-right and extremist figures in Europe, criticizing for example the current governments of Britain and Germany. Recently, Musk has turned his attention to the northern neighbor, praising an interview with Pierre Poilievre, a populist firebrand who leads Canada’s Conservative Party and is expected be the country’s next Prime Minister. In addition, his financial influence is everywhere because of his companies and investments in the U.S. and Europe. In some instances, this has led to questions about potential conflicts of interest in light of his many business interests, especially in any future Trump administration. For example, he once again in a tweet raised Britain’s Online Safety Act which will take effect in March 2025. The British law requires social media companies like X to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and to give adults more control over what they want to see online. Companies that run afoul of the law can face fines of up to 10 percent of their global revenue.
Experiences with Trump’s past foreign policies had been troublesome, especially when it comes to NATO, the Middle East and relations with Canada and Mexico. The involvement of Elon Musk in positioning the next president with respect to foreign policies is a major concern. Originally, Trump appeared to want Musk to concentrate primarily on improving efficiencies and policies within federal departments and agencies, obviously leading to potential reductions in services, employees and regulations. Now, reports are indicating that Musk is attempting to also influence Trump’s future foreign policies, including attempts to have an impact on the domestic politics of several European countries and Canada. Needless-to-say, American interference in other countries’ governance will not be appreciated by their current governments.
The U.S. has been very vocal about any covert foreign interference in its governance and its elections, and rightly so. Although Elon Musk is not an elected official at this time, he is expected to be part of Trump’s administration in some official advisory capacity. Any attempt by Musk to influence or represent the foreign policy of the next administration is totally inappropriate. That is the role of the Secretary of State. What is especially dangerous is the opportunity presented to Musk to influence the future president on foreign matters by having his ear on a daily basis. If I were the next Secretary of State, I’d be very concerned. It’s one thing for Musk to involve himself in U.S. governance and domestic matters, it’s a whole other concern if he attempts to do so in matters related to foreign affairs and dealings with America’s allies!
FROLITICKS 
Leave a comment