Billionaire and ally of the elected President of the United States Donald Trump, Elon Musk has already made headlines with his bold statements and has started actively involving himself in the internal affairs of various European countries and the United Kingdom. In December, he expressed his support for the far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD). On January 6, Musk, who is also expected to join the presidential administration, suggested that the U.S. should "free the people of Britain from their tyrannical government." What else can we expect from the American billionaire? How will his relationship with Trump develop, and will it affect the U.S. stance on Ukraine and the assistance provided to our country? Vladislav Faraponov, head of the "Institute of American Studies" and analyst at "Internews-Ukraine," shared his insights in an interview with UNIAN.
No one disputes that Musk is a genius in his field. But can America handle two people who want to make it great at the same time? How long will this alliance last?
I believe Musk is drawing too much attention to himself, and it's unlikely that Trump will appreciate this for long. I agree with those who say that their alliance may not last very long. However, if Musk truly has a lot of work to do in the ministry that will be created for him and Vivek Ramaswamy to assess government performance, I think Musk will have less time and opportunity to make comments like he did regarding Canada. I suspect that if something extraordinary happens again from Musk, Trump might say that it was Musk, not him. But we understand that politically, when Musk appears so closely and frequently with Trump, it naturally leads to conclusions that he may align closely with Trump’s position. However, I believe that if needed, Trump can easily distance himself from Musk’s comments without losing his ratings, stating that those were not his words and the question is not directed at him. Furthermore, Trump became president not because Musk supported him in the elections, but because he is Trump, not because he is close to Musk.
For the Republican audience, all these statements are secondary. They are certainly more relevant for foreign audiences, particularly Canada, including that comment on Justin Trudeau's post (Musk referred to Trudeau as a "girl," - ed. UNIAN). It is clear that foreign audiences will pay more attention to such statements to gauge what Trump might think about them.
In your opinion, do Musk and Trump share the same goals, including the means to achieve them?
We do not have enough information to grasp the full scope of Musk's foreign policy views. We have isolated statements without context, including those concerning Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, and other states. They are rather fragmented to draw any comprehensive conclusions.
Trump wants European countries to allocate more resources for their security so that the U.S. is not forced to "feed" them in terms of security. This is not a new narrative. It seems to me that Trump is ideologically close to Biden here but uses different methods to gather more allies around him.
Are Donald Trump's bold statements about Canada and Greenland just hype, or is there a strategy behind them?
These statements may seem strange, but they are about increasing influence, declaring intentions to solidify even more influence for the U.S., and directly hinting to everyone that for Trump, influence is also measured by access to territories that could play a key role in terms of resources, technologies, and so on in the next 5-10 years.
This is not a strategy, but hints at one. Certainly, it is difficult to say that this is a significant strategy. These are cautious preliminary signals that should be noted. We will see if Trump can go further than these statements. But it is clear that this is not just random and is a definite signal to both allies and opponents. I would say that this is not merely hype or a desire for attention. I believe Trump genuinely wants this, but he will not take radical steps that would immediately damage his relationships with Denmark or Canada.
In your opinion, do these statements truly come from Trump’s position, or is someone perhaps "whispering" them to him? Could it be Musk, given that his words resonate with these statements?
It is evident that someone is advising Trump, but it could also be his personal stance. We do not know. It could be 50/50.
Who do you think will become toxic first with such stories and statements - Trump or Musk? Or will both maintain their reputation without consequences?
Probably Musk. Trump has been chosen by a large number of Republicans and independent voters. Trump is an elected president and one of the few who managed to be elected after a loss. Nevertheless, he has a level of support and followers. As for Musk, it seems to me that Republicans admire him, but that admiration is not as deep and personal as it is for Trump. For Republicans, Musk is a figure close to Trump, and that’s all.
It is already evident that Musk feels constrained in the niche assigned to him. Will he attempt to push for changes in the political structure of the U.S.? Especially considering that Republicans currently have significant control over the institutions of power. For instance, they could change electoral laws to allow individuals not born in the U.S. to run for office.
I would consider this independently from Trump and Musk. On the contrary, not all immigrants, for instance, vote for Democrats. Therefore, this is also important for Republicans. If Republicans and Trump specifically want this, they can do it without trying to gauge public support, for example, by leveraging Musk's popularity. But they will need to act quickly, particularly before the midterm elections in 2026.
Given Musk's significant influence on Trump's electoral campaign, how will Musk's activities impact assistance to Ukraine? Does this influence even exist? Is it overestimated?
I find this influence somewhat overestimated. After all, Musk’s statements and Trump’s statements are significantly different. Musk sounds like someone who wants this war to end at any cost. Trump is a bit more nuanced. It seems to me that as a politician, he is trying to better understand why it is impossible to end the war quickly. I would say Musk’s statements in this regard are more radical and hype-driven, aimed at a broader audience. Trump, however, understands that foreign leaders and his audience are watching him, so he becomes more responsible.
In your opinion, what can Ukraine offer Musk to, so to speak, pull him to its side, to have a real ally in him rather than merely rejoicing over one-time reposts on social media?
Clearly, it would be business interests, a potential field for his projects, businesses that would be of interest to him, possibly personal communication with President Zelensky. However, I do not think we need to globally pull Musk to our side. Musk should be on the American side. We need to engage with Trump's foreign policy team, not with Musk.
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Vladislav Faraponovhead of the "Institute of American Studies," analyst at "Internews-Ukraine"Vladislav Faraponov studied at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is the head of the "Institute of American Studies" and an analyst at "Internews-Ukraine."
An expert in international relations and American studies, he actively comments on events in the U.S. and around the world across various media outlets.