{"id":21072,"date":"2026-07-24T21:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T21:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=21072"},"modified":"2026-07-24T21:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T21:13:24","slug":"elon-musk-tells-the-economist-the-media-is-more-despised-than-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=21072","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk tells The Economist the media is more despised than him"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Elon Musk fired back at The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes during a Thursday interview from Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas after she said people loathed him over his efforts to influence European politics.<\/p>\n

“I think a lot more people hate you and the media more than you realize,” Musk told the journalist.<\/p>\n

Beddoes confronted the Tesla and SpaceX CEO after challenging his support for right-wing European political parties and arguing that his wealth, ownership of X and following on the platform gave him unusual power to shape politics abroad.<\/p>\n

LIZ PEEK: ELON MUSK\u2019S WELL-DESERVED WIN CAUSES THE ZERO-SUM LEFT TO FREAK OUT<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Elon Musk fired back at The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes after she said some people “loathe” him.<\/span> (Allison Robbert\/Pool via Reuters\/File Photo)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Why should you be able to shape European politics? You don\u2019t even live there,” Beddoes said.<\/p>\n

“But do you see why this makes people think that this man who has all this power, he\u2019s the world\u2019s richest man, he thinks he has a right to influence our politics?” Beddoes said. “It\u2019s why people loathe you. I mean, some people do loathe you.”<\/p>\n

Musk dismissed the criticism by pointing to his roughly 250 million followers on X as evidence that he had more supporters than detractors.<\/p>\n

FOX NEWS DOMINATES ON YOUTUBE IN MAY, MORE THAN TRIPLES EVERY BROADCAST NETWORK<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Beddoes challenged Musk over his efforts to influence European politics during an interview at Tesla\u2019s Texas Gigafactory.<\/span> (AP\/Pool)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Maybe some people do loathe me, and that\u2019s probably true. I don\u2019t care,” Musk said. “But the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don\u2019t.”<\/p>\n

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO argued that distrust of the press was greater than opposition to him and asked Beddoes whether she recognized the media’s standing with the public.<\/p>\n

“Do you realize the media is despised?” Musk said. “Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists is like, it\u2019s like a favorable view of journalists is like 15%?”<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON POST BOASTS IT STARED DOWN \u2018UNWARRANTED\u2019 JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUBPOENA<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Musk claimed more people disliked Beddoes and the media than him, pointing to his roughly 250 million followers on X.<\/span> (Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Beddoes acknowledged that trust in American journalism was low but argued that polarization on social media contributed to the problem.<\/p>\n

“I think in part there have been mistakes by journalists and journalism. I totally acknowledge that,” Beddoes said. “But I also think that the kind of polarized environment, particularly on social media, fostered by the kinds of things you are pushing on X, actually helps make this worse.”<\/p>\n

Musk rejected her argument and insisted the public disliked journalists more than him.<\/p>\n

“The shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me,” Musk said. “I think you\u2019re the problem. The media.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The exchange followed a lengthy disagreement about Musk’s warnings that Britain could face civil war and his backing of European parties Beddoes described as far right. Musk rejected the label and framed his positions around border security, public safety and government spending.<\/p>\n

“I literally said, look, I believe in safe cities, secure borders and sensible spending with respect to government,” Musk said. “That doesn\u2019t make me right wing at all in the least.”<\/p>\n

Musk urged Germans to vote for the Alternative for Germany Party and interviewed its leader, Alice Weidel, on X before Germany’s 2025 federal election. He promoted the party in at least two dozen posts over two months, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public confidence in the news media has fallen sharply. A 2025 Gallup poll found that 28% of Americans had a great deal or fair amount of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly, a record low.<\/p>\n

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CJ Womack is an associate editor at Fox News.<\/p>\n

CJ joined Fox News Digital’s team in 2026, which highlights the vital role journalism plays in shaping politics and culture. He has years of experience analyzing and reporting on the news media.<\/p>\n

CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism. <\/p>\n

You can send news tips to cj.womack@fox.com and follow CJ on Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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