Elon Musk, the new CEO of Twitter, continued his rocky start to his new position by posting a day before the midterm elections on Tuesday that he would want to see the Republicans take control of Congress, as far-right extremism actively undermines American democracy.
Monday’s post from the billionaire addressed independent voters, suggesting that Republican control of Congress will balance out a Democratic president. Under former President Barack Obama, this exact scenario resulted in a frustratingly stalled agenda as Republicans opposed proposed legislation in Congress.
To independent-minded voters:
Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” he tweeted.
“Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!”
In May, the richest man in the world said that he would not vote for Democrats in the midterm elections, as he has in the past, but would instead vote Republican. He said that the Democratic Party is too divisive, despite recent instances of Republicans spreading disinformation, inciting political violence, and promoting conspiracy theories.
Concerns are increasing regarding the influence of Musk’s $44 billion Twitter acquisition on the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. During his first week on the job, the billionaire went rogue in an attempt to radically alter the platform in order to reduce expenses and restructure the company in accordance with his vision.
Musk initiated major layoffs at the company on Friday, and 3,700 employees were terminated before he allegedly requested the rehiring of hundreds of them over the weekend. In the meantime, he has spread memes, jokes, conspiracy theories, and future plans on Twitter, which he is developing in real-time.
The billionaire also made the decision to provide verified Twitter accounts to all users for $8 per month, which he argues will democratize the service by removing the exclusivity of the blue checkmark. Free Verified accounts were given to journalists and public figures in order to validate their identities in the face of possible impersonators.
By reserving verified accounts for public figures, Twitter and its users were able to better discern deception. During this election season, the propagation of conspiracy theories could be exacerbated if Musk demands verified users to pay to preserve their blue checks. The New York Times reports that Musk has no plans to improve Twitter’s verification procedure until after the upcoming elections.
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, stated on Friday that the group least affected by the mass layoffs was the company’s front-line content moderation employees. Concerned that Musk’s policy changes will encourage extremists to publish racist, antisemitic, and violent language and imagery, a number of businesses have suspended advertising on the platform.
