Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the world’s richest man having the ear of President-elect Donald Trump could pose massive concerns for American democracy.
The center-right German politician sparred with Trump during his first administration, defending NATO from Trump's attacks and bashing his exit from global climate commitments. In an interview with Der Spiegel on Friday, Merkel was asked if there was a difference between Trump's first term and today. She answered that Elon Musk’s sway with the president-elect was a troubling breakdown of barriers between the government and private businesses.
“There is now a visible alliance between him with the big companies from Silicon Valley, which have enormous power through capital,” she told the German newspaper. “If a person like [Musk] is the owner of 60% of all satellites orbiting in space, then that must be a huge concern for us along with the political issues.”
Musk joined Trump regularly on the campaign trail and helped finance his final push. Since Election Day, the CEO has spent time at Mar-a-Lago participating in calls with foreign leaders and vetting staffing choices. He's been tasked with co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency, an as-yet nonexistent agency, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.
The German leader of over 16 years said Trump’s partnership with Musk threatened to strain the guardrails the government should be imposing on big business. Merkel said that the government should act as a "final authority" over private businesses that can "straighten things out."
“If this final authority is too strongly influenced by companies, whether through capital power or technological capabilities, then this is an unprecedented challenge for us all,” Merkel said.
