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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Arwa Mahdawi

Elon Musk is moving back into politics. Can’t he take up a new hobby instead?

Elon Musk sitting with his hands together
Elon Musk’s last stint in politics didn’t just harm people reliant on foreign aid; it damaged his own brand. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

“You know, I’ve generally found that when I get involved in politics, it ends up badly,” Elon Musk mused on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast in November.

Oh, we know, Elon, we most definitely know. The world is still reeling from the tech billionaire’s little experiment in politicking last year. Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) slashed federal jobs, dismantled foreign aid programmes and left a trail of chaos in its wake. It’s not clear whether any taxpayer money was saved, but experts are warning a lot of lives will be lost. By one calculation, there could be about 14 million excess deaths across the globe by 2030 if the US fails to restore aid funding. Thanks, Elon!

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