How Trump and Musk's Involvement Sparks New Diplomatic Challenges
During Donald Trump's first term, governments worldwide braced themselves for his morning social media posts, wondering what policy might be reversed or what insult might be directed at them. Four years later, diplomats are once again on edge when the sun rises on America's east coast.
Back then, the rule was to take Trump "seriously but not literally." Despite many bold campaign promises, he did not withdraw the US from NATO or imprison Hillary Clinton. But with his return, can ministers maintain such calm a second time?
Trump's latest morning outburst targeted the UK government’s decision to raise taxes on oil and gas companies operating in the North Sea, partly to fund renewable energy projects.
On his platform, Truth Social, Trump reacted to a report about a US oil company leaving the region, saying: "The U.K. is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of Windmills!"
Was this simply a familiar defence of a US company by Trump and a repetition of his pro-fossil fuel stance? Or did it signal a greater willingness by the president-elect to intervene in the domestic policies of an ally?
The key difference now, four years later, is that Trump is no longer the only one at the keyboard. His increasingly influential ally, Elon Musk, has become even more vocal, using his own platform, X, to criticize the British government on a wide range of issues. He has targeted the government's handling of last summer's riots, its economic policies, and more recently, its approach to child abuse scandals.
Musk has launched a barrage of posts attacking Sir Keir Starmer personally, accusing the prime minister of failing to act against child grooming gangs during his tenure as the director of public prosecutions.
British politicians are powerless to stop these posts from across the Atlantic, but they can control how they respond. During Trump’s first term, governments—and newsrooms—learned to pause and reflect before reacting to or reporting the latest messages from the White House.
So far, the Conservative party has opted to engage with and support Musk's agenda. Party leader Kemi Badenoch has stated that a national inquiry into organised grooming gangs is "long overdue."
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| Musk has voiced support for the jailed far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson |
The Conservatives have expressed reluctance regarding Elon Musk's apparent support for jailed far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
Musk has posted multiple times on X advocating for the release of Yaxley-Lennon, who was sentenced to prison in October after admitting contempt of court for repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee.
Alicia Kearns, the Conservative shadow safeguarding minister, condemned Musk for "lionising people like Tommy Robinson," calling it "frankly dangerous."
Meanwhile, Labour appears hesitant to challenge Musk, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, who could potentially fund rival political campaigns. Nigel Farage's Reform Party has mentioned Musk as one of several billionaires interested in backing their efforts.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticized Musk’s comments on child grooming scandals as "misjudged and certainly misinformed," but urged the billionaire to collaborate with the UK government on addressing online child abuse.
Musk's controversial interventions are not limited to the UK. He has called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a "fool" and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier an "anti-democratic tyrant." He also referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "an insufferable tool" and suggested his time in power is running out.
Monitoring closely
The challenge for politicians in Britain and around the world remains determining which, if any, of these social media outbursts and interventions warrant a response.
In Whitehall, there is some hope that the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the new British ambassador could help reduce the personal attacks coming from across the Atlantic.
Additionally, some attention is being given to Trump's strong ties with the UK and the Royal Family; he had a positive meeting with the Prince of Wales in Paris last December following the reopening of Notre Dame.
Some officials are even considering the possibility that the relationship between Trump and Musk might become too volatile while in office.
For now, however, officials are closely monitoring their social media feeds. US social media diplomacy is back in action, and much of it is directed at the UK.
