Elon Musk Intensifies Criticism of President Biden on Social Media

Last month, Elon Musk posted on X that President Biden “obviously barely knows what’s going on.”

“He is just a tragic front for a far-left political machine,” Mr. Musk wrote. This marked the 29th time this year that he had posted about the president on X, formerly known as Twitter, which Mr. Musk acquired in 2022.

As the November presidential election approaches, Mr. Musk has increased his criticism of Mr. Biden. He has posted about the president on X at least seven times a month since January, targeting issues from Biden's age to his immigration and health policies. In contrast, Mr. Musk posted about Mr. Biden twice in December and not at all in November, according to a New York Times analysis. Overall, Mr. Musk has posted nearly 40 times about Mr. Biden this year, compared to about 30 times in all of last year.

In comparison, Mr. Musk has posted more than 20 times on X this year about former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. In these posts, Mr. Musk defended Mr. Trump, arguing that he is a victim of media and prosecutorial bias in his criminal cases.

Mr. Musk’s posts about the presidential race are significant because he is using his influence as the owner of a major social media platform to shape political discourse, a move unprecedented among social media leaders. With 184 million followers, Mr. Musk's posts reach a vast audience.

Unlike Mr. Musk, other social media leaders, such as Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Sundar Pichai of Google, have avoided publicly endorsing candidates or posting political content on their platforms.

Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, noted that Mr. Musk's outspoken political views could have consequences. “He has ownership and the largest follower base, and he is a much-larger-than-life character with almost godlike status” on one of the largest platforms for political discussion, Mr. Chakravorti said. “If he was to really come out and support a candidate and put his weight against it, it could have an impact.”

The White House, the Biden campaign, Mr. Musk, and X did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Musk’s political activity on X mirrors media moguls like Rupert Murdoch, who have used their platforms to shape political discourse. “Mr. Murdoch has a particular ideological valence, and most people know what that is, and that permeates through his different media outlets,” said Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University. “People can opt into those or opt out,” similar to X. Some users have moved to other social media platforms due to Mr. Musk’s ideological stance.

However, social media experts believe Mr. Musk is unlikely to sway the November vote significantly. Many of his followers already share his political views, and the platform has leaned right since his acquisition.

Mr. Musk’s public support for right-wing candidates and views has grown in recent years. He described himself as a centrist and reluctant Democrat as recently as 2022 and voted for Mr. Biden in 2020. However, in June 2022, Mr. Musk voted for a Republican candidate for the first time in a special election in Texas and urged voters to support Republicans in the 2022 midterms.

Mr. Musk’s political evolution continued in May when he hosted a buggy audio stream on X to announce and endorse Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis for the Republican presidential nomination. He has not endorsed another candidate since.

Mr. Musk has also used X to support right-wing politicians globally, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, and India’s Narendra Modi, leveraging these connections for his other businesses, such as SpaceX and Tesla.

Mr. Musk has courted Mr. Trump, reinstating his account on X after buying Twitter, though Mr. Trump has posted only once since then. Despite not endorsing Mr. Trump, Mr. Musk has had several conversations with him and has expressed sympathy for Mr. Trump in his posts.

In January, Mr. Musk intensified his critiques of Mr. Biden, posting about the president seven times that month, mainly about immigration policies. He accused Mr. Biden of facilitating illegal immigration for political gain. Mr. Musk’s critiques continued through the year, with increased posts in March and accusations that the media was a “Biden cheering squad.”

Last month, Mr. Musk discussed opposing Mr. Biden’s re-election at a dinner party in Los Angeles with other billionaires, including Rupert Murdoch and Peter Thiel. During a March interview with former CNN host Don Lemon, Mr. Musk stated he would continue to voice his opinions but might endorse a candidate during the final stretch of the campaign.

“I’m leaning away from Biden," he said, laughing.