The illusion of retreat: Musk is re-arming for the next political fight

Why the campaign against plutocrat Musk must not lose momentum.

The headlines say Elon Musk is “stepping back” from Donald Trump’s administration. That’s only a fraction of the story.

Even if he never steps foot in Trump’s White House again, Musk has made a deep imprint on American democracy.

His legacy – the “disease, starvation, and death” wrought by his DOGE agenda – has hardwired his interests into the U.S. policy bloodstream. On the one hand, subsidies for Tesla and contracts for SpaceX. On the other, deregulation and a techno-libertarian worldview that prioritises private, plutocratic power over public accountability.

And when the next election looms, there’s every reason to believe Musk will ramp up his political spending once again – especially if his empire, and his toxic legacy, feels threatened.

The idea that Musk could ever “step back” from politics is absurd. This is a man who has spent the past year not only shaping Trump’s agenda, but also becoming the face of the global far-right.

He has bankrolled anti-Muslim activist Tommy Robinson, been a cheerleader for the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), and amplified almost every major far-right campaign and actor.

He’s done this through the social media platform X, primary among Musk’s many addictions, which he has turned into a clubhouse for racists and neo-Nazis. Musk is hardwired into the X algorithm, through which he can broadcast his political pronouncements to the world – a position he’s unlikely to recede from.

Ergo, Musk is not just a businessman with political opinions; he’s a political actor with a multi-billion-dollar arsenal. To suggest he might now retire into quiet neutrality is unlikely. He’s simply recharging for the next onslaught.

Musks’s supposed distancing from Trump may soothe nervous investors and help Tesla scrape back some brand credibility. But in truth, Musk doesn’t do retreat – he repositions. This is likely to be a strategic camouflage.

Ultimately, of course, what’s happening here is not just about Musk, or Trump, or Tesla. It’s about power and accountability in an era when billionaires operate with near-sovereign freedom, immune to the checks that constrain other democratic actors.

Musk has treated politics like a tech startup: an experimental playground for his ideological extremism. He has moved fast and broken everything, blurring the line between entrepreneur and autocrat-in-waiting.

I’m an investigative journalist and current affairs writer who specialises in exposing dark money and radical right-wing ecosystems.

Carole Cadwalladr: “I’ve been really impressed by Sam’s work – persistently finding story after story exposing wrongdoing and hypocrisy at the highest level. A name to watch!”

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But something has changed over the past couple of months, which is why Musk is finally on the back foot.

Tesla’s market value has taken a beating. The brand has grown toxic.

This has been the outcome of an organised, diffuse, and wildly successful political campaign – possibly one of the most effective acts of civil protest in recent Western history.

Grassroots activists, trade unions, civil rights advocates, and angry consumers have struck Elon where it hurts: his wallet. Tesla has been boycotted, shamed, and scrutinised. Musk started a war, and his company has been caught in the crossfire.

The plutocrat’s withdrawal from Washington isn’t an accident. It’s a reckoning.

Which is exactly why this moment matters. If Musk is backing away from politics, it’s not because he’s had a change of heart. It’s because the pressure is working – which means we can’t let up.

The campaign must continue – not in the name of vengeance, but accountability. Musk has wielded his wealth to shape politics, culture, and the boundaries of free speech. He’s destabilised American democracy, spread vile conspiracy theories, and helped to mainstream extremist voices under the guise of “free thinking.”

If he’s truly stepping away from public life, good. But until he withdraws not just from Trump’s administration, but from his toxic fusion of money, influence, and misinformation, we must continue to demand accountability, and consequences.

Silicon Valley has long sold us the myth of the visionary CEO as a necessary disruptor. But democracy isn’t a product, and public trust isn’t something you can code your way around. If Musk wants to live as a private citizen, he should. But until then, the campaign must go on.

And this time, we know it can work.

About me

I’m an investigative journalist and current affairs writer who has worked with the New York Times, the Guardian, the Mirror, the New European, Novara Media, New Statesman, Led By Donkeys, and others.

I specialise in exposing dark money and radical right-wing ecosystems, and I’m the author of two books: Fortress London, and Bullingdon Club Britain.

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