Nearly 20 percent of Elon Musk’s social media posts have been political in 2024, according to a Washington Post analysis, a significant jump from previous years, as the tech billionaire increasingly involves himself in right-wing politics.

The Post analysis found that 17 percent of Musk’s 2024 posts on his platform X have centered on politics, up from just 2 percent in 2021. The shift comes as Musk increasingly wades into right-wing politics, first backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) presidential primary campaign and then endorsing former President Trump last month.

Musk once committed $45 million a month to help reelect Trump, though he has since scaled back that promise. He also announced last week that he will host Trump on X, sitting down for a formal interview with the former president.

Much of Musk’s political speech has focused on “wokeness” and “cancel culture,” conservative lightning rods for online conversation and complaints about society. X announced last week that it will sue a coalition of advertisers for boycotting the site due to Musk’s views.

Advertising on X has cratered since Musk purchased the company and changed its name from Twitter in 2022. The billionaire has blamed “woke” politics, while industry experts have noted that Musk’s own views make X less brand-friendly.

The rise in political posts has also reduced the footprint of Musk’s own businesses on his social media presence. While he still frequently posts about Tesla and SpaceX, among his other projects, the billionaire has dedicated less time to discussing the brands in recent years.

Posts about Musk’s companies, including X itself, fell by about a third since 2021, the Post analysis found, to 21 percent of his posts.

Musk is the most followed user on X, with more than 193 million followers. X has controversially served his posts to users algorithmically, garnering complaints from those attempting to avoid posts by the site’s owner.

Author: Nick Robertson

Source: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4823117-elon-musks-political-posts-jump-to-17-of-his-x-feed-this-year-wapo/