Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire, is seemingly not one to take any vocal criticism particularly frivolously.
“Perhaps some people do detest me — and that’s probably true — I don’t care,” Musk, 55, told editor-in-chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes in a wide-ranging, 90-minute video interview released on Thursday, July 23, after the X owner was asked if he understands that “some people do detest” Musk and consider his politics and use of social media is just not “helpful for Western democracy.”
“However the proven fact that, as you identified, 1 / 4 billion people follow me is that I feel loads more people actually like me than don’t,” he continued. “And I feel loads more people hate you and the media greater than you realize.”
He added, “Do you realize the media is despised? Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists, is like, it’s like a positive view of journalists is like 15 percent. So the show is on the opposite foot. They hate you. They hate you way over they hate me.”
Beddoes did acknowledge that overall trust within the news and journalism is at an all-time low — based on one October 2025 Gallup poll, only 28 percent of Americans report having a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news accurately and fairly.
“I feel there’s actually [a] lack of trust in journalism. I feel, partially, there have been mistakes by journalists and journalism, I totally acknowledge that,” she explained. “But I feel the form of polarized environment, particularly on social media fostered by the sorts of stuff you’re pushing on X, actually helps this – makes it worse.”
Musk vehemently disagreed with Beddoes’ assertion, doubling down on his assessment of journalism as a complete.
“I don’t think so,” he responded. “I feel you’re the issue, the media, and, um, speaking of loathing, you’re loathed way over I’m and also you don’t appear to even realize that.”
“I feel only a few people know who I’m relative to you,” Beddoes said. “So I don’t think I play in the identical game.”
Don Lemon’s latest partnership with X has been canceled following a “tense” interview he conducted with the owner of the social media platform, Elon Musk. “We had an excellent conversation,” Lemon, 58, wrote in a Wednesday, March 13, statement. “Clearly he felt in a different way. His commitment to a worldwide town square where all questions may be […]
“The media collectively,” Elon retorted, again focused on attacking the media and journalism at large. “Um, so, I mean, you’re hated.”
In keeping with a Pew Research Center survey conducted between January 27 and February 2 of 2025, 54 percent of Americans say they’ve an “unfavorable” view of Musk, including a reported 36% who report having a “very unfavorable” opinion of the trillionaire.
Musk has been the middle of much controversy during his time in the general public eye, including his public issues with the moms of his children (Musk shares 14 children with 4 different women), his anti-trans remarks often directed towards his own trans daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, and his personal relationship and political coping with President Donald Trump, including his short-lived role within the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose significant cut U.S. foreign aid resulted within the estimated deaths of over 700,000 people.