Elon Musk says his political activity in Europe is driven by “normal people” and a desire to defend “the West collectively,” not by far-right ideology. In an interview with Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, Musk also predicted that artificial intelligence could surpass the combined intelligence of all humans within five years. The full conversation airs on The Economist’s Insider program Thursday evening.
Why Musk pushed back on the far-right label
Musk denied being racist, pointing to his partner, who is half-Indian, their four children, and the diverse executives at his companies. He called the media’s characterization of him as far-right “absurd” and said it was false and misleading. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has about 250 million followers on X, the platform he owns, and has used it to amplify anti-immigration and anti-establishment voices in Europe.
AI timeline and a civil war warning
During the interview, Musk said he believes AI could outpace all human intelligence in five years. That’s a shorter timeline than many researchers project. Separately, he previously posted on X that civil war in Britain is “inevitable.” Minton Beddoes pushed back on that claim, noting that violent crime in the UK is falling and that London is safer than many U.S. cities.
Musk on the media and public opinion
Musk said he doesn’t care if people loathe him, but he believes many more people like him than hate him. He criticized the media for what he called an “absurd characterization” of his views. The interview comes as Musk’s political interventions in Europe — including endorsing Germany’s far-right AfD party and attacking UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — have drawn sharp criticism from European leaders.
What’s next
The full interview with Zanny Minton Beddoes will be released on The Economist’s Insider program Thursday evening. Musk has not announced any further interviews or public appearances to address the controversy.
