Elon Musk has introduced a new slogan, “Make Europe Great Again” (MEGA), as a spinoff of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA). Recently, Musk has been supporting far-right parties in Europe, such as Germany’s AfD, which will participate in the upcoming German federal elections. In his latest post on social media, he wrote, “From MAGA to MEGA: Make Europe Great Again.”
MAGA’s Influence Expands in Europe
MAGA has become a central slogan for far-right movements in the US, and its impact is now spreading to Europe. Interestingly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used this slogan while campaigning for the European Parliament presidency in 2024. Consequently, several European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have accused Musk of interfering in European elections.
EU Strengthens Investigation into X
Meanwhile, the European Union is intensifying its investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter. The European Commission has requested documents regarding X’s “recommender systems,” which suggest content to users. Henna Virkunnen, the EU’s Executive Vice-President, remarked, “Today we are taking further steps to shed light on the compliance of X’s recommender systems with the obligations under the DSA.”
Musk Defends Free Speech
In response to the investigation, Musk defended his actions, emphasizing his commitment to free speech and democracy. He criticized European leaders for attempting to restrict these values. In a separate post, Musk commented, “So many people in Europe lack hope for the future or think Europe is ‘bad’ in some way. Pervasive pessimism. This will lead to the end of Europe. Therefore, it must change.”
Digital Hate Group Raises Concerns
This investigation follows a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a US-based human rights organization. The report revealed that Musk’s “false or misleading claims about the US elections” were viewed nearly 1.2 billion times on X in August 2024. As a result, this raised concerns about the platform’s role in spreading misinformation.