How Trump and Musk’s interventions prompt diplomatic challenge | Global News Avenue

During Donald Trump’s first term, governments around the world braced themselves for his morning social media posts. What policies will be overturned and what insults will be received? Four years later, as the sun rose over America’s East Coast, diplomats were once again getting restless.

Back then, they learned to take Trump “seriously but not literally” — as the proverb goes. Despite his many campaign promises, he did not withdraw the United States from NATO or jail Hillary Clinton. But can ministers be so optimistic again?

Trump has lashed out at the British government in recent mornings over its decision to increase taxes on oil and gas companies operating in the North Sea, in part to fund renewable energy.

Trump responded to reports of US oil companies leaving the region on his “Truth Society” platform, saying: “Britain is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of the windmills!”

Is this just a repeat of Trump’s common defense of an American company and his pro-fossil fuel instincts? Or does this suggest that the president-elect is more willing to intervene in allies’ own domestic policies?

Four years on, the main difference is that Trump is no longer alone at a keyboard. His fellow traveler Elon Musk is becoming more powerful and more prolific, using his platform X to launch an all-out attack on the British government. He has criticized the government’s handling of last summer’s riots, the economy and, most notably, the child abuse scandal.

Musk has tweeted a number of personal attacks on Sir Keir Starmer, accusing the Prime Minister of not doing enough to prosecute child grooming rings during his time as Attorney General.

British politicians are unable to stop these posts from across the Atlantic. But they can control their reactions. During Trump’s first term, governments and news stations learned to pause and take a moment before responding to or reporting on the latest electronic correspondence from the White House.

So far, conservatives have chosen to engage and respond to Musk’s agenda. Party leader Kemi Badenoch said there would be a comprehensive national investigation into organized grooming gangs It’s “late”.

But Conservatives balked at Musk’s apparent support for jailed far-right activist Stephen Yaxley Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.

Musk shared multiple posts on X calling for the release of Yaxley Lennon, Who was jailed in October After pleading guilty to contempt of court by repeating false accusations against a Syrian refugee.

Alicia Kearns, the Tory shadow protection minister, said it was “frankly dangerous” for Musk to “worship people like Tommy Robinson”.

As for Labor, it appears keen to avoid a feud with one of the world’s richest men who might one day fund a rival party. Nigel Farage’s Reform Party said Musk was one of “a number of billionaires” interested in donating to his campaign.

Health Minister Wes Streeting says Musk’s comments about child grooming scandal are “Wrong judgment and certainly misguided” But the billionaire was asked to work with the UK government to tackle online child abuse.

British politicians are not the only ones targeted by Musk’s increasingly bizarre interventions. He described German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a “fool” and Germany’s head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as an “anti-democratic tyrant”. He also called Canadian President Justin Trudeau an “intolerable tool” who “won’t be in power much longer.”

So once again, the challenge for politicians in the UK and around the world is to work out which, if any, of these social media outbursts and interventions merit a response.

In Whitehall, there is some hope The arrival of Lord Mandelson Because a new British ambassador may help stem the flow of personal invective from across the Atlantic.

Trump’s affection for Britain and the royal family has also been taken seriously. He had a pleasant meeting with the Prince of Wales in Paris after the opening of Notre Dame in December.

Other officials even believe that the relationship between Trump and Musk may become too combustible while in office.

But for now officials are keeping a close eye on their timeline. American social media diplomacy is back, and some of it is heading our way.