Guest Editorial: X owner Elon Musk is using his social media platform to push rightwing views and disinformation

Former President Donald Trump, left, and Elon Musk.— AP Photo Matt Rourke/File Former President Donald Trump’s public conversation last week with X’s owner Elon Musk was plagued with technical glitches, right-wing views and disinformation. The conversation that spanned more than two hours revealed little news about Trump’s plans for a second term, but the former president did use the platform to spread a series of lies. CNN reports that “Former President Donald Trump delivered his usual bombardment of false claims — at least 20 in all — during a Monday conversation with billionaire supporter Elon Musk, which aired on Musk’s social media platform, X. “Most of the falsehoods uttered by the Republican presidential nominee were claims that have been repeatedly debunked before, some of them for years. They spanned a broad range of subjects, from immigration to the economy to foreign policy to Trump’s record in office to Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.” The social media platform’s former leadership had permanently banned Trump for spreading disinformation that sparked the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress. But disinformation has thrived at X under Musk’s leadership. A former critic of the former president, Musk formally endorsed Trump two days after...