Don’t subscribe hard right-wing views to Elon Musk so fast.
He seems to be courting powerful figures from both the left and the right, as The Street reports.
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Tucker Carlson has been seeing some good early numbers as he brings his talents to Twitter. The first episode of his show on the platform got an historic 70 million views. There’s a recipe for success here in the wild internet west.
But Elon doesn’t just want Twitter to be a conservative echo-chamber. He invited former CNN anchor Don Lemon and MSNBC crown jewel Rachel Maddow to come on his platform.
Lemon got ousted after a slow but steady decline as new leadership took over CNN. The comment that broke the camel’s back was that he felt presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime” at the age of 51, saying most women experience that time in their 20s-40s.
Apparently, many employees were unhappy about Licht firing Lemon, so there is a bit of good will with him.
When Lemon posted an explanation on the day of his firing on May 10, Musk was quick to reply. “Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger,” he queried to Lemon:
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) April 24, 2023
Lemon didn’t respond, but Musk seems to really want the guy on his team. On Thursday he tweeted “It’d be great to have Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform. No exclusivity or legal docs required! You will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all.”
It’d be great to have @maddow, @donlemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform. No exclusivity or legal docs required!
You will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all. https://t.co/v1Yse6TQ6u
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 8, 2023
Maddow has scaled back her duties as she kind of holds the whole MSNBC station together. She is only on air once a week, making her an infrequent presence on the network while giving her plenty of free time.
Still, Maddow would be unlikely to bite. She’s probably enjoying her millions and doesn’t feel the need to work that much anymore. Who could blame her?
But Lemon? He’s out of a job and probably still has that news with camera bug.
However, Musk might just want to appear more independent to get some extra ad revenue. In the span of two months, Sensor Tower, which compiles online ad revenue information, estimated that Musk’s ad revenue dropped 89% in the span of three months.
But purer intentions may factor in here as well. Don’t consider Musk a MAGA devotee in any way. In addition to hosting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s announcement on “Twitter Spaces,” he hosted Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy next.
And Musk even floated the idea of hosting a Democratic primary debate, since the Democratic National Committee said they won’t be sponsoring any.
Musk seems to want to give a platform to political and media figures he finds interesting, both left and right.
We’ll see if Lemon bites.
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