Musk's Growing Grip on American Politics:

The Billionaire Who's Reshaping Democracy

Against a backdrop of dire threats to democracies across the globe and the everyday struggles of millions of Americans, the potency of an individual billionaire has reached grotesquely large dimensions.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, waged a campaign of disinformation to sabotage a bipartisan spending agreement using that wealth. His participation in the deal was built on lies, including an absurd lie that a 40 percent salary increase for Congress members had been part of the deal. The truth? Any gain was capped at 3.8% tops. Musk also revived the false claim that the agreement earmarked $3 billion in federal funds for a new NFL stadium in Washington, D.C. The reality is far more fundamental: the deal merely transferred the title of the RFK Stadium site to the D.C. Local government for redevelopment, which had nothing to do with federal dollars. Musk's false claims, broadcast to millions on his platform, likewise found an audience eager for them. The public outcry at such trumped-up wars even threatened a spending agreement as the government approached a shutdown.

Musk waddled around with some misinformation and hit publish on a whim. He is using his influence as a weapon to sow discord. It was more than a vehicle for partisan posturing—the spending bill was a momentous compromise essential for the government's functioning. The ramifications of a shutdown are dire, from military operations to public health efforts. Millions more Americans would feel the pain, with delayed paychecks, interrupted services, or being cut off from essential infrastructure. Musk's lies, which virally spread to them on his platform, fell on ears eager to listen. They inflated what seemed to be a public fury and jeopardized all spending, placing the federal government on the brink of a shutdown. Musk actively disseminates too little information to organize and weaponize his power and cause a schism. The appropriations bill was not simply a vehicle for partisan theatrics — it was a necessary compromise to keep the government funded. The impact of a shutdown can be dire, touching on everything from military missions to public health programs.

Musk overstates the bill, reducing significant governance problems to the level of slogans when, in fact, we need collective efforts to tackle substantive issues. The dirty work of governing requires compromise, though. Any attempt to kill such a bill jeopardizes the measure — and the most substantial bipartisanship, the only way to govern effectively. This scenario may leave many Americans with delayed paychecks, the loss of necessary services, and the deterioration of vital infrastructure. It underlines the pressing need for immediate action and support from all parties. Missing from that discussion too often is an awareness of the actual effect on the daily lives of everyday people. This wasn't the first time Musk has intervened and used his platforms to advocate for his agenda; from Musk's attacks on the government sanctioning his businesses to championing fringe ideology, his use of his platforms is a perfect point to show how dangerous the ultra-wealthy can be.

That influence comes not merely as a financial cudgel—it also enables him to evade the kinds of scrutiny that folks in the rest of society experience. Musk's X (formerly Twitter) ownership illustrates the threats of unchecked social media power in a democracy. His ownership of a platform that links hundreds of millions of users has turned misinformation into a weapon for manipulation. Unlike traditional media organizations, which generally can be held to account through editorial standards and rigorous fact-checking, X and similar platforms primarily operate essentially unregulated, allowing falsehoods to travel far and wide without contradiction. This represents a serious threat to democratic discourse. We now live in a world where facts are called fake news and fake news is facts, where billionaires own the narrative and decide what information gets disseminated to the general public, making it nearly impossible for ordinary citizens to differentiate between fact and fiction. Consequently, the public square has become professionalized, digitalized, and dominated by money and narratives that (all too frequently) drown out evidence-based argumentation.

Now is the time for action to safeguard democracy. That involves passing tougher campaign finance reforms to reduce how the ultra-wealthy escape accountability. We could impose, for instance, reasonable caps on contributions to political parties and require greater transparency in political spending. In a genuine democracy, clout should not be based on financial status. There have to be far greater disclosure requirements that make individuals and corporations more responsible for the money they contribute and the lobbying they do. The public should know which behind-the-scenes—and often shadowy—figures help steer decisions. It's time to hold social media companies accountable. We should have products like X with a higher standard of accountability—more vigorous fact-checking, effective complaints procedures for misinformation, and so on. But regulation, on its own, is not enough. We need new public education campaigns that encourage media literacy. That is a key component of a healthy democracy! Giving citizens the resources to distinguish between fact and fiction will reduce the strength of falsehoods. These initiatives protect free expression, increase shared understanding, and bolster democratic discourse.

In a real democracy, influence should not depend on wealth. Significantly enhanced disclosure requirements must hold people and corporations accountable for the money they give and lobby efforts they make. The public has a right to know which shadowy figures are behind the scenes shaping the decision-making process.

Require social media platforms to obtain licenses to operate. Products like X need to be held to a higher standard of accountability, including comprehensive fact-checking and effective complaints procedures for misinformation. However, regulation alone isn’t enough: we need creative public education campaigns that promote media literacy. This is critical for a healthy democracy! However, providing individuals with the means to tell the truth from fiction will go a long way toward reducing the impact of false narratives. These efforts protect free expression, increase common understanding, and strengthen democratic dialogue.