Citizen Kane, Citizen Musk

Musk likes power and money. Trump? The same.

Elon Musk has everything that Donald Trump is seduced by. He is a billionaire (the richest man in the world with $314 billion); he is daring (in October 2022, he bought Twitter for $44 billion and renamed it X); he is innovative (Tesla, one of his companies, manufactures electric vehicles, solar installations and other renewable energy sources); he is visionary (he is revolutionizing space tourism with Space X, another of his companies); and he is meddlesome (this week he spoke out against a court in Rome that prevented the deportation of migrants, a blow to the low-profile policy promoted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a friend of Musk’s).

Along those lines, the tycoon is a patriot (he was born in South Africa, but the headquarters of his businesses are in Texas and California; plus, he contributed approximately $200 million to Trump’s campaign); and is a global public figure (he is interviewed on television and has a strong presence in the social networks and media of five continents). Musk likes power and money. Trump? The same.

However, because it is better to be center stage than behind the scenes, Trump has instructed Musk to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. Among its objectives will be to slim down bureaucracy, to eliminate wasteful spending and to attack fraudulent operations. Musk was quick to announce, ”This will shake up the system, impacting many who contribute to government waste.”

Musk’s persona rises above those of all common civil servants ever seen in any democratic nation. With X, he has empowered the idea of posting anything, regardless of whether the posts include racist or homophobic slurs or fake news. That willingness to act without censorship catapulted Trump’s candidacy, because more than seeing him as a leader, people see Musk as an influencer; today, that carries much more weight.

In any case, this scenario is evocative of “Citizen Kane”(1941), the film narrating the life and rise of a media man whose ambitions led him — with its lights, but above all its shadows — to wield almost imperial economic and political power.

Traditional media (radio, TV and print) have served as tools of manipulation, so that the same perverse game has been successfully implemented in this era of social networks. They have served to orient the political and social perspectives of ordinary citizens — and there is ample evidence of this. Small screens that fit in any pocket and that can be watched at any time of the day or night endlessly “inform us.” The prime-time news of the past is, today, a trending topic. That is the impact that Musk has, without half measures or moderation.