French Green Party leader and presidential candidate Marine Tondelier has entered a heated public dispute with tech billionaire Elon Musk after suggesting his social media platform X, should be banned during France's 2027 presidential election.
Speaking to the French daily Libération on Wednesday, Tondelier proposed the temporary ban to combat the rising threat of foreign election interference. She accused Musk of harboring a "supremacist ideology" and attempting to force Europe into total submission to the United States. Tondelier also highlighted Musk’s prior indications that he would prefer far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen to be elected in France.
Musk fired back on Thursday via X stating that "I demand that she be shut down for treason against France!"
Tondelier quickly condemned the billionaire’s rhetoric and publicly questioning what his threat of "treason" actually meant and forcefully rejecting his interference in French domestic politics.
"France does not need lessons in patriotism from a foreign billionaire who thinks he gets to decide which European political leaders should be silenced" Tondelier stated. She firmly declared "Democracy is not for sale. Not even to the richest man in the world".
Tondelier concluded by stating she would much rather face accusations of defending democracy than of attempting to buy it. The clash underscores growing European concerns over the unchecked influence of privately owned social media platforms on democratic electoral processes.
