Elon Musk’s escalating criticism of President-elect Trump’s opponents and industry rivals is raising concerns he may use his growing influence to pressure adversaries.
These worries are compounded by Trump’s repeated pledges for retaliation against his perceived foes, with experts cautioning Musk could amplify and act upon similar rhetoric on his social media platform, X, in the coming months.
“Musk is a good match for Trump because Musk clearly relishes … retribution and thrives on vengeance,” said Matt Dallek, a political historian and professor at George Washington University.
“This is partly, at least, what drives him, perhaps even more so at this stage than his business ventures.”
Neither X nor a spokesperson for the Trump transition team responded to The Hill’s request for comment.
Concerns heightened last week when Musk targeted retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who became an outspoken critic of President-elect Trump after testifying in his first impeachment trial.
“Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,” Musk wrote on X, responding to comments Vindman made in an interview about Musk’s alleged conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Musk said Vindman, who served as the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council (NSC) under Trump, “will face the appropriate consequences,” to which Vindman responded, “You, Elon, appear to believe you can act without accountability and are trying to silence your critics. I’m not intimidated.”
Some Democrats defended the combat veteran, including Vindman’s twin brother — Rep.-elect Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), who called Musk’s comments “completely false and defamatory.”
In another message to Musk, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said the “Vindman family embodies patriotism and service. You know nothing about either.”
While Trump has remained largely silent about Alexander Vindman in recent years, Musk appears to be leveraging his immense platform, where he has over 206 million followers, to revive the combative tone. “It’s difficult to think of anyone else who has been, at least in the past year or six months, more high-profile, more influential in publicly supporting Trump,” Dallek said.
“Musk, the richest person in the world, has put much of his resources and his public platform behind Trump.”
“What does he [Musk] do with that massive platform? Well, he identifies government officials he believes should be fired,” he added.
Alexander Vindman was ultimately removed from the NSC in 2020, two days after the Senate acquitted Trump, who labeled him a “Never Trumper” in 2019.
The Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General later concluded Eugene Vindman likely faced retaliation from the then-president’s officials for his role in the impeachment.
Alexander Vindman is not the first political figure to face public attacks from Musk and other Trump allies.
Last month, Musk wrote that special counsel Jack Smith’s “misuse of the justice system cannot go unchallenged,” echoing threats from Trump and some Republican lawmakers to retaliate for what they view as politically motivated cases.
Smith led the Justice Department’s election interference case and classified documents case against Trump, both of which he moved to dismiss following the president-elect’s victory last month.
And shortly before the election, Musk reportedly told advisers that his political action committee, America PAC, should confront “Soros DAs,” referring to progressive district attorneys supported by liberal mega-donor George Soros, according to The Washington Post.
In a repost of an X user listing “six Soros-backed District Attorneys facing reelection” in 2025 or 2026, Musk wrote “interesting” and tagged America PAC’s account. This included Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), who prosecuted the president-elect in a hush money case earlier this year.
Musk has also targeted federal employees well outside the political spotlight.
Last month, Musk reposted a user highlighting a little-known director of climate diversification at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and posted her name and salary.
Musk’s repost, captioned “So many fake jobs,” garnered over 33 million views, and the named woman reportedly shut down her social media accounts, CNN reported.
He also targeted a senior adviser on climate at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in another repost listing her name and title.
“He has an enormous platform, and we’ve seen the harm that bluster, misinformation, and spiteful rhetoric can cause — not just to elections but to society as a whole,” Democratic strategist Kristen Hawn told The Hill.
“The impact of his words, given his platform and influence within the White House, is substantial enough to have serious ramifications,” Hawn added.
“Even by merely threatening or intimidating individuals like Vindman or these government officials, a lot of damage is already done,” Dallek said. “It sets a precedent, as those people then become targets — targeted by Musk’s followers, Trump’s base, and the broader MAGA [Make America Great Again] movement.”
The consequences of retaliatory rhetoric from Trump and his allies have already been felt by some critics, such as former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who reported receiving death threats after breaking with House Republicans and supporting Trump’s impeachment.
Similar to Trump, Musk has also clashed with competitors in the tech and space sectors regarding his own ventures.
His public disputes with rivals, coupled with his new government advisory role with Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) panel, have raised concerns that he could exploit his influence to unfairly hinder competition.
Musk is “far from altruistic,” Hawn said of the millions he spent during the election. “He clearly understands the advantages of staying close to the president-elect and securing responsibilities that could potentially affect government spending and the workforce.”
Leading the DOGE panel, Musk will oversee recommendations to cut government spending and regulations across sectors, including agencies with federal contracts involving his companies SpaceX and Tesla, as well as other tech leaders.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed apprehension about Musk’s ties to Trump in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
“It just makes me nervous overall, given the way I’ve seen Trump and Musk make decisions,” Smith said. “Musk clearly has influence now.”