The world’s richest man looks to move Canada to the right as the beleaguered prime minister prepares to depart.
The decision by the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, this week to resign as head of the Liberal party has set in motion a leadership race against the backdrop of a looming general election, which will be held amid political turmoil triggered by Donald Trump’s “America first” economic nationalism. It has also given Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, an opportunity to inject himself into yet another country’s political turmoil. Since Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Musk has posted repeatedly about Canadian politics on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter he bought in 2022 for $44bn. He has praised clips of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative party, while relishing in Trudeau’s downfall and engaging with right wing Canadian influencers. Trump and Musk have been promoting the idea of Canada becoming part of the United States, something that every major Canadian party leader, including Poilievre, has rejected. Trudeau posted on Tuesday that there “isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell” of Trump’s proposal becoming reality.
“Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so 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 expanding attempts to influence global politics over the last 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 $200m to back Trump’s re-election campaign, he has also positioned himself as a key figure in shaping US policy decisions and forced foreign leaders to take his provocations seriously.
Outside the United States, most of Musk’s attention has been aimed at the UK, where he recently reignited a furore over a child sexual abuse scandal while promoting anti-immigrant views and accused the prime minister, Keir Starmer, of being “complicit in the rape of Britain”. Musk has also exerted his influence into Germany’s upcoming elections, backing the far-right, anti-immigration AfD party in an op-ed and hosting its leader, Alice Weidel, in a livestream interview on his platform.
Musk’s intrusion into European politics has prompted leaders in the UK, France and Germany to speak out against his election interference and misinformation. Now it appears it is Canada’s turn to deal with the richest man in the world.
Rawr
Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/12/canada-election-elon-musk-justin-trudeau