Elon Musk’s Free Speech Legacy

Elon Musk formally departed the Trump administration on Friday to conclude his high profile and controversial tenure as a special government employee heading up the newly formed “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).

On Thursday, President Trump posted on Truth Social:

“This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way. Elon is terrific!”

Musk responded in kind:

As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.

Although somewhat critical of one another during President Trump’s first administration, Musk and the 47^th chief executive forged a strong bond during the last campaign. Both contrarian and countercultural at heart, the relationship strengthened significantly after the Tesla founder purchased Twitter and reinstated Trump to the forum. After the president survived the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt, Musk endorsed his candidacy. 

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his full recovery,” wrote Musk on X just minutes after last year’s shooting.

While originally skeptical of Elon Musk, many conservatives have warmed to the tech entrepreneur. Bold, brash and willing to confront the establishment, it’s easy to see why. At the same time, Musk’s uneven personal life has made many evangelical and socially conservative Christians uncomfortable.

Reports suggest the tech mogul has 14 children with four women. Back in 2022, Musk tweeted:

Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis. A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.

Musk will find no disagreement from us on the latter observation. The increasing population dirth represents an existential crisis. One of the most befuddling and frustrating facts today is how many people, especially culture’s elites, think and believe the exact opposite. They contend the world is overpopulated and that we run the risk of depleting resources and exterminating ourselves if we keep welcoming children into the world. They’re absolutely wrong. God has provided plenty of resources and continues to command us to populate the earth.

But separating children from marriage is a major part of the problem. The success and strength of cultures rise and fall on the marital union. Advocating for more children outside of marriage won’t solve the problem but only exacerbate it.

Yet, as he heads back to Tesla and X, Musk’s lasting legacy will not be cutting government waste, normalizing or popularizing the electric car, or even commercializing space travel. Instead, Elon Musk has done his greatest work in helping rescue free speech.

After purchasing Twitter for $44 billion, the tech giant posted, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.”

He is right.

At a time when conservative Christians were being silenced by the big tech social media titans, Musk stepped in and wrestled the reigns of Twitter back from the brink of a dictatorial stranglehold.

Prior to Musk’s purchase, the satirical site The Babylon Bee was banned from Twitter, specifically for noting the exclusivity of two genders.

“We refused to censor ourselves and lost access to this platform because of it,” reflected the Babylon Bee’s Seth Dillon. “The only reason we’re back is because Elon shared our belief that you can’t put a price on freedom.”

Dillion, who plays a prominent role in Focus on the Family’s forthcoming documentary, Truth Rising, has said, “We should be allowed to tell jokes, especially jokes that tell the truth.”

Elon Musk has described himself as a “cultural Christian” and “a big believer in the principles of Christianity.” To be sure, only the Lord knows where he’s at regarding a personal relationship with Him. But as he departs the White House and DOGE, we wish him well, pray for him, and extend our thanks to him for the critical role he’s played in preserving our First Amendment rights. 

Image from Getty.