France’s largest far-right party is not at all thrilled about the support shown by the world’s richest man, businessman Elon Musk, for its presidential candidate, writes Politico.
After Musk called far-right National Alliance (RN) candidate Marine Le Pen “France’s last hope,” her party members were quick to point out that the American’s support is not a matter for political power. RN MP Laurent Jacobelli said on public radio on the 16th of July that while he agrees with Musk’s statement, the party is not looking for support abroad. The party has taken a similar approach with US President Donald Trump, trying to distance itself from his policies and rejecting Washington’s support despite ideological similarities. Jacobelli stressed that the opinions of foreigners do not matter, and only what the French people think is important.
The owner of X, SpaceX and Tesla has regularly spoken out on European political developments in recent years, and has offered support to anti-immigration far-right groups, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the radical right-wing British provocateur Tommy Robinson. Musk’s political stance and vision for free speech have made him something of a hero in the eyes of some European radicals. At the same time, the businessman’s connection to the US president, who is very unpopular in France even among far-right circles, and controversial actions (such as a gesture that resembled a Nazi salute) do not contribute to recognition.
RN MEP Thierry Mariani told Politico that such an endorsement was more for journalists than voters, and that the party had not asked the businessman for anything. Mairani’s colleague Fabrice Leggeri added that
there was no reason to seek cooperation with foreign businessmen, especially those based outside Europe.
Musk’s posts also immediately sparked accusations of foreign influence in French politics and concerns about how he could use his social media to influence the presidential election. Pascal Confavreux, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, said Musk was entitled to his opinion and that it was not a problem, but that the tools at his disposal were not being used to manipulate the election campaign.
Former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton, who has clashed with Musk on several occasions over EU efforts to enforce social media rules, told X that Musk supports Le Pen, and that’s his right, but that authorities must now work to prevent X’s algorithms from giving an advantage to any candidate in Europe.
Representatives for X did not respond to a request for comment.
Leggeri told Politico that he was concerned that critics of the party would play the “algorithm buffoon” card after Musk’s comments and jeopardize Le Pen’s campaign.
Read also: Musk: Le Pen is France’s last hope