Elon Musk’s purchase of X (formerly Twitter) in late 2022 has been a financial disaster, with the platform losing nearly 80% of its value. However, from a political perspective, the acquisition might turn out to be a masterstroke. Week after week, X amplifies a range of issues that dominate conservative discourse, with ripples that often extend into the mainstream media, driving real political consequences.
Sometimes these issues are rooted in inflammatory conspiracy theories. For instance, a baseless rumor about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, allegedly eating cats and dogs, became a talking point in the final stretch of the U.S. presidential election, leading to bomb threats and harassment. Other times, X lifts stories that have a basis in fact but are contentious, like those dealing with illegal immigration, government waste, youth gender transitions, and social media crackdowns that mainstream outlets are seen as ignoring or downplaying.
Just this week, X reignited the controversy surrounding the “grooming gangs” scandal in the UK – where groups of men, largely of Pakistani descent, sexually abused young girls in the 1990s and 2000s while authorities were slow to act. Musk himself called for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was involved in some of the failed prosecutions, to face charges. The demand was echoed by American hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who called for the U.S. to impose sanctions on the UK.
Musk has become a powerful force in shaping the direction of political discourse on X. With a single retweet or a brief comment, Musk can amplify content – often from obscure or anonymous right-wing accounts – to his 210 million followers. His tweets frequently set the tone, pushing particular narratives and elevating issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. Musk himself has claimed that X has become the true press, telling users, “You are the media now.”
While many journalists and left-leaning users have abandoned X in favor of alternative platforms like Bluesky, the political content on X has become more influential than ever, with a near-total dominance of right-wing voices. Musk’s close connections to far-right populist leaders, like Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Germany’s AfD, and the UK’s anti-immigrant factions, have further cemented X’s role as a hub for conservative political discourse.
What makes X particularly effective as a platform for conservative ideas is its ability to turn older stories into viral news. For instance, the grooming gangs issue, while not new, was suddenly thrust back into the limelight on X, making it a key point of focus for American and British users who had not been exposed to it before. Musk’s interventions in such topics often reframe them as urgent matters of public concern, even if they’ve been covered in the past.
While some critics argue Musk’s engagement with such topics is politically motivated, particularly his attacks on Starmer, X has proven to be a powerful tool for shaping the political agenda. It is also a reminder that political movements today are not solely reliant on traditional media – they can create their own narratives on platforms like X.
Even when things don’t go entirely as Musk expects – like his clashes over H1-B visas – his bet on X’s power to influence global politics continues to pay off. Musk’s assertion that “once people realize that legacy media lies, they never forget it” may very well be the guiding principle for his ongoing push to reshape public discourse.
In the broader context, the rise of X’s influence underscores a shift away from traditional media sources. Musk has successfully harnessed the platform’s reach to fuel narratives that resonate with a right-wing audience while creating a space where even long-forgotten issues can be revived, remixed, and reshaped for today’s political moment.
 in late 2022 has been a financial disaster, with the platform losing nearly 80% of its value. However, from a political perspective, the acquisition might turn out to be a masterstroke. Week after week, X amplifies a range of issues that dominate conservative discourse, with ripples that often extend into the mainstream media, driving real political consequences.){kind=link}