Topline
National Rally, a far-right political party in France whose leader is running for president in next year’s election, on Thursday distanced itself from the endorsement of billionaire Elon Musk who earlier this week dubbed Marine Le Pen “France’s last hope.”
Key Facts
Musk’s endorsement has been slammed by French leaders as “foreign interference” and on Thursday the group he supported seemed to agree, with spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli telling public radio his party doesn’t seek international support.
Jacobelli said “it’s the opinion of the French people” that matters and seemed to distance National Rally from Musk, whose alignment with President Donald Trump has made him unpopular in France, even among the far right.
In response to Musk’s tweet endorsing Le Pen, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot urged him to reconsider his position and French parliamentarian Antoine Léaument, of the far left, described Musk’s post as “foreign interference” and called on regulators to act before the election could be “manipulated” on social media.
Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner and former French economy minister, called Musk’s post “meddling” and suggested Musk’s endorsement could cause the algorithm of X, the social media site he owns, to “favor” Le Pen.
KEY BACKGROUND
While Musk still has supporters in France, particularly among some free-market, tech and right-wing voters, the overall tone of French media and political discourse has become increasingly negative toward the world’s richest man. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly joined other European leaders in criticizing Musk for what they said were attempts to influence political conversations in Europe. France has also taken a relatively aggressive stance toward regulating online platforms and has investigated X over allegations related to algorithmic transparency, moderation practices, personal data handling, and the spread of harmful content, moves Musk has characterized as politically motivated.
TANGENT
Musk has often supported right-wing and far-right groups and candidates, including Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party and Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party. He’s also been accused of amplifying far-right voices in Europe, including extremist Tommy Robinson and Ashlea Simon, co-founder of the white supremacist group Britain First. After he endorsed Alternative for Germany, former German chancellor Olaf Scholz called Musk’s involvement in German politics “completely unacceptable.” Friedrich Merz, current chancellor of Germany, also criticized Musk’s endorsement of AfD despite being on the center-right himself.
FORBES VALUATION
Musk earlier this year became the world’s first trillionaire after taking his rocketmaker company SpaceX public. As of Thursday, he’s worth an estimated $855.6 billion.
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