French PM warns about social media influence

French Prime Minister François Bayrou raised concerns about Elon Musk’s influence on democracy during a local television on Monday.

“Elon Musk is a threat to democracies. Money should not have the right to rule consciences,” Bayrou said in an interview with a local French television channel.

The remarks follow Bayrou’s statement last week regarding France and Europe’s relationship with the United States, where he cautioned that without taking a firm stance against certain US policies, European nations risked being “dominated … crushed … marginalised.”

Musk, chief executive of Tesla and owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has recently weighed in on various European political matters.

This includes expressing support for an anti-immigration party in Germany before February elections and commenting on British politics, including calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation.