WaPo: Musk significantly more "influential" online than Trump
The newspaper has cautioned that the billionaire’s presence on his platform X “eclipses” the entire incoming legislature. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The billionaire’s presence on his platform X “eclipses” the entire incoming Congress, the newspaper has warned.
Messages posted by Elon Musk on X, the platform he acquired for $44 billion in 2022, have garnered significantly more viewership than those of any other politically active users, including President-elect Donald Trump, according to a report from the Washington Post this week.
The newspaper, which typically supports the Democratic Party, has been tracking engagements since July, following Musk’s endorsement of Trump for president. The Post has monitored posts hourly for 48 hours after publication to evaluate the “influence” that X users have on their audience.
Musk’s posts reportedly amassed a total of 133 billion views during the monitoring period, which is 15 times more than Trump’s posts on the platform and over 16 times more than the combined reach of all accounts belonging to members of the incoming Congress. The Post suggested that the entrepreneur “eclipses” all others in terms of influence.
Trump was suspended from Twitter after the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot, prior to Musk's acquisition and the rebranding of the platform to X. Since then, the president-elect has shifted the majority of his political messaging to his own platform, Truth Social. Musk reinstated Trump’s account on X after taking over the microblogging service.
The Washington Post indicated that Trump’s presence on other platforms does not significantly impact its analysis. He has “only 8.4 million followers there compared to his 96 million on X,” the paper noted.
Critics of Trump have expressed concern about what they view as Musk’s undue influence on the Republican politician and the future policies of his administration. The billionaire has been actively involved in the transition process and has publicly commented on electoral politics and appointments.
Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and a prominent figure within the Democratic establishment, referred to Trump as the billionaire’s “puppet” on Thursday in response to Congress's failure to pass a stop-gap funding bill this week.
Musk has vocally opposed the 1,547-page proposal released on Tuesday, describing it as “criminal,” “outrageous,” “unconscionable,” and ultimately “one of the worst bills ever written.” Democratic lawmakers rejected an alternative bill proposed by Trump. The deadline for allocating additional funds to keep the federal government operational is Friday.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
Messages posted by Elon Musk on X, the platform he acquired for $44 billion in 2022, have garnered significantly more viewership than those of any other politically active users, including President-elect Donald Trump, according to a report from the Washington Post this week.
The newspaper, which typically supports the Democratic Party, has been tracking engagements since July, following Musk’s endorsement of Trump for president. The Post has monitored posts hourly for 48 hours after publication to evaluate the “influence” that X users have on their audience.
Musk’s posts reportedly amassed a total of 133 billion views during the monitoring period, which is 15 times more than Trump’s posts on the platform and over 16 times more than the combined reach of all accounts belonging to members of the incoming Congress. The Post suggested that the entrepreneur “eclipses” all others in terms of influence.
Trump was suspended from Twitter after the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot, prior to Musk's acquisition and the rebranding of the platform to X. Since then, the president-elect has shifted the majority of his political messaging to his own platform, Truth Social. Musk reinstated Trump’s account on X after taking over the microblogging service.
The Washington Post indicated that Trump’s presence on other platforms does not significantly impact its analysis. He has “only 8.4 million followers there compared to his 96 million on X,” the paper noted.
Critics of Trump have expressed concern about what they view as Musk’s undue influence on the Republican politician and the future policies of his administration. The billionaire has been actively involved in the transition process and has publicly commented on electoral politics and appointments.
Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and a prominent figure within the Democratic establishment, referred to Trump as the billionaire’s “puppet” on Thursday in response to Congress's failure to pass a stop-gap funding bill this week.
Musk has vocally opposed the 1,547-page proposal released on Tuesday, describing it as “criminal,” “outrageous,” “unconscionable,” and ultimately “one of the worst bills ever written.” Democratic lawmakers rejected an alternative bill proposed by Trump. The deadline for allocating additional funds to keep the federal government operational is Friday.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
