Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the world's richest person, delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22, 2026. However, his social media activity throughout January has drawn intense scrutiny from extremism experts, who assert that his posts on platform X are increasingly indistinguishable from white supremacist content.
Consistent Engagement with Racial Narratives
According to a detailed analysis by the Guardian, Musk posted about race, immigration, or related conspiracy theories on 26 out of 31 days in January. His output included claims that white people face systemic discrimination, endorsements of the "great replacement" conspiracy theory, and warnings of potential violence against white minorities. For instance, on January 22, shortly before his Davos appearance, Musk reposted a video from an Irish anti-immigrant influencer, commenting, "Whites are a rapidly dying minority."
Expert Assessments and Warnings
Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Extremism, reviewed a selection of Musk's posts and stated, "If you stripped Elon Musk's name off of these things and showed them to me, I would think that this was a white supremacist." She added that Musk appears "deep into the world of white nationalism." William Braniff, former director of the Department of Homeland Security's office for prevention of terrorism and extremism, noted that several posts contain "textbook examples" of white supremacist ideologies, such as the "great replacement" theory, which has been linked to violent attacks in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Braniff, now executive director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, emphasized the danger of mainstreaming these ideas, stating, "The great replacement has been an especially important mobilizing narrative for highly lethal white supremacist attacks."
Interactions with Far-Right Activists
Musk's January activity was not limited to original posts; he frequently reposted or endorsed content from far-right accounts. On January 10, he replied "yes" to a white nationalist account claiming "race communism" is targeting Western countries. He also engaged with posts promoting anti-immigrant sentiments, such as on January 7, where he agreed with a claim about eradicating white people, and on January 9, endorsing a post about "white solidarity" as necessary for survival.
Notably, Musk reposted content from Martin Sellner, a far-right Austrian activist and founder of the Identitarian Movement, on January 17, calling it "a statement of fact." Sellner, who has promoted concepts like "remigration" (ethnic cleansing of non-whites), is described by Beirich as "probably the most significant global white supremacist right now." Sellner has connections to white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, who committed the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
Denials and Deflections
Musk has repeatedly denied being racist or antisemitic, stating in a 2024 interview with Don Lemon that he does not subscribe to "great replacement theory" and condemns terrorism. He also told Joe Rogan in March last year that he is not a Nazi, despite facing criticism for speeches to far-right groups. However, experts argue his rhetoric aligns with far-right tactics to delegitimize critics as "race traitors" or "woke."
Broader Implications and Ongoing Activity
Musk's posts reflect a trend of white supremacist ideas gaining traction among prominent figures and institutions. For example, Donald Trump recently posted a racist video, and some government agencies have shared content aligning with extremist propaganda. Musk's platform X has reinstated banned accounts like that of antisemite Nick Fuentes, further amplifying these voices.
As February began, Musk continued posting about race and immigration, such as calling Irish men "pathetic traitors" for not opposing immigration. His audience of over 200 million followers gives these ideas unprecedented reach, raising alarms about the normalization of extremist ideologies linked to real-world violence.
