The decision this week by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign as leader of the Liberal Party has sparked a leadership race amid a looming general election, which will be held against a backdrop of political unrest sparked by “America » by Donald Trump. first » economic nationalism. It also gave Tesla CEO Elon Musk an opportunity to get involved in another country’s political turmoil.
Since Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Musk has repeatedly posted about Canadian politics on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter that he purchased in 2022 for $44 billion. He praised clips of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, while savoring Trudeau’s downfall and engaging with right-wing Canadian influencers.
Trump and Musk have championed the idea of Canada becoming part of the United States, an idea that every major Canadian party leader, including Poilievre, has rejected. Trudeau said Tuesday there was “not a chance in hell” that Trump’s proposal would become a reality.
“Girl, you’re not governor of Canada anymore, so it doesn’t matter what you say,” Musk tweeted in response in the middle of the night on Tuesday.
Musk’s posts are emblematic of his growing attempts to influence global politics over the past year, during which he has formed alliances with a number of right-wing populist leaders, amplified far-right influencers and obsessively voiced conservative grievances. After spending more than $200 million to support Trump’s re-election campaign, he also positioned himself as a key figure in shaping U.S. policy decisions and forced foreign leaders to take his provocations seriously.
Outside the United States, most of Musk’s attention has focused on the United Kingdom, where he recently reignited fury over a child sex abuse scandal while promoting anti- -immigrants and accusing the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, of being “complicit in rape”. of Great Britain”. Musk also exerted his influence on the upcoming German elections, support the far-right anti-immigration AfD party in an editorial and by welcoming its leader, Alice Weidel, in a live interview on its platform.
Musk’s intrusion into European politics has prompted the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany to denounce his election interference and misinformation. Now it seems it’s Canada’s turn to take on the richest man in the world.
While Musk remains in the background, Trudeau’s Liberal Party will stage a leadership race to replace him as prime minister, then likely call a general election soon after.
Raising Poilievre
In a series of messages posted after Trudeau’s resignation, Musk expressed support for Poilievre, whose conservative party is widely expected to dominate Canadian elections after three successive Liberal governments. Musk’s messages to his more than 200 million followers have already drawn comments from a major party leader, a sign of how he could become a growing factor as the country faces a year of political tumult.
“Elon Musk and other billionaires are supporting Pierre Poilievre because if he wins they will get richer,” Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada’s left-wing NDP, said in response to Musk’s tweets.
When Poilievre was asked about Musk’s support At a press conference Thursday, he responded that “it would be great if we could convince Mr. Musk to open some of his factories here in Canada.” He also added a mention about Musk’s space travel ambitions.
“My three-year-old just told me he wants to go to Mars, so I guess Mr. Musk would be the right person to hook him up with,” Poilievre said. “If I ever have the chance to meet Mr. Musk, what I would say is, ‘How can we make this an economy where we bring hundreds of billions of dollars of investment back to Canada?’ »
Poilievre fits the mold of other conservative politicians who have appealed to Musk. Once known as a combative, baby-faced lawmaker whom other lawmakers nicknamed “Skippy,” he has ditched his glasses and tie in recent years to adopt a more populist persona. Presenting himself as an opponent of Trudeau’s “woke authoritarian agenda,” Alberta-born Poilievre played in conspiratorial rhetoric on “globalist elites” and promised to reduce immigration while accusing the Liberal Party of being responsible for economic inflation.
Many of Poilievre’s talking points harken back to ideas Musk might promote himself, including cryptocurrency adoption, cutting government funding, and creating a punitive new government position, a “guardian of liberty of Expression,” with the power to deny government funding to universities that fail to do so. Commit to protecting free speech on campus. Poilievre also supported the ban on trans women women’s washrooms, locker rooms and sports, and pledged to defund Canada’s national public broadcaster and news media.
Musk posted a 2023 clip of Poilievre eating an apple while dismissively answering questions from a local editor, calling it a “masterpiece.” The billionaire also praised a video of Poilievre talking about spending cuts and inflation. In a third message, Musk tweeted “great interview” while sharing Poilievre’s. chat with right-wing commentator Jordan Petersonin which the Conservative leader promised “the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history.” Poilievre’s interview with Peterson drew condemnation from the Liberal Party and the NDP because it was sponsored by a U.S.-based Christian anti-abortion group.
A poll taken before Trudeau’s resignation showed that the Conservative Party has a significant advantage and that Canada could shift significantly to the right this year – even with a survey last month showing that only 37% of Canadians view Poilievre himself in a favorable light.
Despite Elon Musk’s endorsement, Poilievre could also face a balancing act over how much he should align himself with Trump, who remains a widely unpopular figure in Canada. A poll taken during the US presidential campaign revealed that only 21% of Canadians were in favor Trump’s re-election, while another poll in November found that only about 19% of Canadians trust Musk’s opinion on the politics of their country.
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Musk amplifies Canadian ideologues
Much like in the United States, many of the Canadian political accounts that Musk engages with tend to be conservative and deferential media influencers that he amplifies to his millions of followers.
In a post this week, Musk shared a misleading claim about Trudeau from far-right media entrepreneur Ezra Levant, which was later corrected by a community note. Levant publishes Rebel News, a website whose contributors include British anti-Islam extremist Tommy Robinson, Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes and a former prominent commentator, Faith Goldywho was fired after appearing on a neo-Nazi podcast. Musk also exchanged tweets with one of Canada’s first “alt-right” influencers and former Rebel Media host, Lauren Southern, who rose to prominence creating anti-immigration YouTube videos and promote THE white nationalist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory.
Jordan Peterson is another Canadian touchstone for Musk. In addition to sharing Peterson’s interview with Poilievre and occasionally exchanging tweets, Musk appeared on Peterson’s show last year — during which the tech mogul claimed his trans child was ” dead” and “killed by the awakened mind virus” after receiving gender-affirming care. . Vivian Wilson, Musk’s transgender daughter, responded that his characterization was false and that he was an absentee father.
Musk also frequently interacts on
“I read your insightful book about the parasitic virus of the waking mind,” Musk tweeted to Saad last year. “It gave me nightmares.”
Musk celebrates Trudeau’s resignation
While Musk showed his support for Poilievre, he also welcomed Trudeau’s downfall. On Wednesday, he shared a meme showing an AI-generated Donald Trump playing a mournful violin in the background of Trudeau’s resignation speech, and also responded to his own old tweets that predicted Trudeau would lose power.
Musk has expressed his opposition to Trudeau several times in recent years over issues such as Covid safety restrictions, including sharing a meme in 2022 comparing Trudeau to Hitler. Musk later deleted his tweet after the Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust museum was condemned, but as recently as December he was again calling for Trudeau’s political ouster.
Trudeau was a target of right-wing media long before Musk’s attacks, with far-right commentators such as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson devoting segments depicting the prime minister as some sort of socialist dictator and the Canada as a dystopian hellscape.
In Canada, the causes of Trudeau’s resignation are more complex. Although he maintained a progressive appearance internationally, many Canadians across the political spectrum came to find Trudeau’s personality sickening and hypocritical. domestic scandals. The rising cost of living and inflation, as well as fatigue with Liberal minority governments lost significant support for his party. The recent collapse of his cabinet, the failures of last year’s by-elections and the threats of a vote of no confidence ultimately sounded the death knell for his leadership.
