How Elon Musk Is Using His Political Power to Keep X Alive

At one point, Elon Musk’s grand vision for X (formerly Twitter) looked headed straight for collapse. But today, the platform remains afloat – thanks to a web of political connections, strategic maneuvers, and Musk’s relentless pursuit of influence.

Let’s break down how Musk leveraged his role in U.S. politics to save X from financial ruin—and what it means for the future of social media.

After acquiring Twitter in late 2022, Musk slashed staff, rebranded it to X, and shifted its moderation policies. His changes alienated advertisers and sparked an exodus of users. Revenue dropped nearly 50%, and attempts to monetize through features like paid checkmarks fell flat.

By October 2024, bankruptcy looked likely.

Everything changed when Donald Trump won re-election in November 2024. Musk, a vocal Trump supporter, landed a powerful role in the new administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This gave him a seat at the decision-making table – and access to government funding opportunities.

Soon after, Musk’s X began pressuring advertising agencies to return. According to reports, X hinted that major mergers (like IPG and Omnicom) might face regulatory issues unless deals with X resumed. Some agencies signed new contracts under this pressure.

Simultaneously, Musk used his influence to position X as the official platform for U.S. government communication, embedding it in federal infrastructure.

Another critical move? Musk rolled X into xAI, his separate artificial intelligence venture now valued at around $80 billion. Because xAI uses X posts to train its models, any funding xAI receives indirectly supports X too.

And with the federal government eyeing AI to improve efficiency, xAI is poised to win massive government contracts – with Musk guiding both sides of the deal.

Some trace Musk’s belief in X as a political tool back to 2019. At the time, reports claimed U.S. interests – including Musk’s Tesla – benefited from a coup in Bolivia, where Twitter bots helped sway public sentiment. Musk later tweeted (then deleted): “We will coup whoever we want!”

It was a lesson in power – and a turning point in Musk’s understanding of how social media shapes geopolitics.

There’s no doubt Musk’s strategies are effective. But the ethical concerns are mounting:

X’s survival may not come from user growth or ad revenue – but from Musk’s ability to secure taxpayer-funded lifelines.

At TweetDeleter, we continue to monitor how platforms like X evolve. As social media becomes increasingly politicized, cleaning up your digital presence has never been more important. Whether you're worried about data sharing, misinformation, or influence campaigns – your old posts matter.

Review your X account. Clean up your tweets. Stay ahead of the game.