Operating in a grey zone between public and private figure, Trump’s sidekick Elon Musk can largely say what he wants – even as he complains about

Fresh from pouring his money and energies into helping Donald Trump win reelection, Elon Musk has trained his sights on Europe.

Not content with having the ear of incoming U.S. president Donald Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk has been trashing European politicians on both the left and right, and using posts on his social media platform,

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Elon Musk’s efforts to influence European politics raise questions about the degree to which he speaks for himself or President-elect Donald Trump.

Musk, who has used X to amplify conspiracy theories and promote far-right talking points in the U.S., has more recently set his sights on Europe.

The billionaire is the chairman and chief executive of LVMH, a vast empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, and he and his family are believed to be worth almost £140billion.

Musk's escalating criticism and mocking of European leaders and governments, which he has done repeatedly via X, the social media platform he owns, has sparked a backlash from

Musk's Tesla stake rose by $111 billion — 65% — last year. All but $2 billion of Musk’s Tesla gain and about 98% of what other Tesla shareholders gained came after Election Day, when Musk began hanging out extensively with Donald Trump and started calling himself Trump’s “first buddy.