Former US President Donald Trump has blasted the European Union after a senior Brussels bureaucrat demanded his podcast interview with X owner Elon Musk be subjected to EU bureaucrat censorship.
The European Commission’s self-styled “digital enforcer,” Thierry Breton, took to X late on August 12 to demand that all content that “promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation” be censored in relation to Musk’s conversation with Trump.
Breton added that, should Musk fail to heed the warning, Breton could take punitive measures against the platform via the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
To be honest, I really wanted to respond with this Tropic Thunder meme, but I would NEVER do something so rude & irresponsible! https://t.co/jL0GDW5QUx pic.twitter.com/XhUxCSGFNP
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2024
“My services and I will be extremely vigilant to any evidence that points to breaches of the DSA and will not hesitate to make full use of our toolbox, including by adopting interim measures, should it be warranted to protect EU citizens from serious harm,” the commissioner wrote.
Breton failed to elaborate on exactly what he meant by “interim measures.” Under the DSA, the Commission can strip a social media platform from the EU internet should it feel that it is in serious active breach of the DSA.
The Commissioner’s demands provoked outrage online, with Musk eventually bringing the Frenchman’s threats up in his conversation with Donald Trump.
Responding to a query from the X owner on Breton’s comments, Trump speculated that the EU attack on the podcast may not have anything to do with speech at all, but instead be motivated by the EU’s dislike of his trade policy.
“I know the European Union very well,” the former president said.
“They take great advantage of the United States in trade… we protect them [through NATO], and yet if you build a car in the United States you can’t sell it in Europe. You just can’t sell it. It’s impossible.”
“They’re not as tough as China but they’re bad. And I let them know it and that’s probably why they notified you,” he added.
The European Union is offering to make “illegal secret deals” with big tech companies to enable the censorship of social media, X boss Elon Musk has claimed. https://t.co/gm422vL2hU
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 12, 2024
Other commenters were far harsher on Breton for what many perceived as an attempt to interfere in American politics.
While Musk responded to the threats with levity — posting “Bonjour!” underneath Breton’s threats before quote tweeting it with an image reading “Take a big step back and literally f**k your own face” — the CEO of his X platform appeared to take a far more combative stance.
“This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US,” X head Linda Yaccarino wrote in response.
This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US. It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions. https://t.co/RmxL4VFuvV
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) August 12, 2024
“It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.”
Such an attitude was echoed by many free speech advocates on the platform, with journalist and filmmaker Michael Shellenberger decrying Breton as being a “tyrant”.
“President Emmanuel Macron come get your boy before he wrecks US-EU relations,” he wrote.
“Stop attacking free speech and interfering in our elections.”
The Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament has demanded that the European Commission provide details of what it claimed was a “disgusting” plan to censor Elon Musk’s X. https://t.co/GiOQz6rsW5
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 31, 2024
