Norway PM worried by Musk involvement in politics outside US
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Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said his country's politicians should collectively distance themselves from any efforts Elon Musk could have to involve himself in their politics.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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OSLO - Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Jan 6 that he found it worrying that billionaire Elon Musk was involving himself in the political issues of countries outside of the United States.
Mr Musk, a close ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, in December endorsed a German anti-immigration, anti-Islamic political party made remarks on British politics
“I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries,” Mr Stoere told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
"This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies," he added.
If Mr Musk were to involve himself in Norwegian politics, the country’s politicians should collectively distance themselves from such efforts, Mr Stoere said.
Mr Musk, the world’s richest person, spent more than US$250 million (S$342 million) to help Trump get elected and has been tasked by Trump to prune the federal budget as a special adviser.
The German government last week accused Mr Musk, who owns social media platform X and is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, of trying to influence Germany’s upcoming election with a guest opinion piece for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck said Mr Musk’s support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was a “logical and systematic” play by the billionaire for a weak Europe that will not be able to regulate as strongly. REUTERS
