Elon Musk, the billionaire who was forced against his will to buy Xitter because of his big mouth, is showing the world just how radicalized he has become, according to a new analysis by CNN's Oliver Darcy. In a contentious interview with Don Lemon released on Monday, Musk equated content moderation with censorship, bashed the press, assailed DEI programs without evidence, and gave credence to the racist "Great Replacement" theory.
As Darcy writes, "To those not fluent in the intricacies of right-wing media, some of what Musk said may have sounded bizarre or even foreign. But in the right-wing fever swamps, where Musk is now deeply entrenched, these are the issues that animate the masses."
The interview capped off a 72-hour posting spree on X in which Musk raged against the "woke mind virus", accused the media of bias and lying, and argued that "if there is not a 'red wave' in November, 'America is doomed.'"
"At this juncture, calling Musk a right-wing shitposter is no longer provocative. It's simply accurate," Darcy writes. "And his ugly behavior is even more troubling because of the fact that Musk is enormously influential," controlling one of the world's most important communications platforms.
After the Lemon interview posted, Musk trashed the former CNN anchor, calling him a "stupid asshole" and "just a bad guy, plain and simple." According to Darcy, "Musk appears to be growing more intolerant of other viewpoints. While elevating right-wing extremists, he simultaneously seeks to destroy trust in credible news sources."
Darcy concludes, "Musk has become self-radicalized on the very website that he was forced to purchase for $44 billion, sliding deeper into the darkest and most unsavory corners of the platform that has served to only reinforce his own worldview with an echo chamber of conspiracy theorists and ego-stoking sycophants that regularly fawn at his every move no matter how outrageous or preposterously false."
See also: Musk gets fact-checked by Twitter community, engages in petty public spat
