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‘How much does it cost?’: Elon Musk hints at buying MSNBC as Donald Trump Jr suggests ‘funniest idea ever’
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX, has hinted that he might be considering purchasing MSNBC, a leftist cable news network.
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX, has hinted that he might be considering purchasing MSNBC, a leftist cable news network.
Following the announcement that Comcast, the network's parent firm, is separating cable TV channels into a distinct business, Donald Trump Jr. posted on X.
“Hey @elonmusk I have the funniest idea ever!!!” Trump Jr. wrote.
The richest man in the world inquired, “How much does it cost?”
“The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely,” Musk stated, with a laughing emoji.
A quick recap of when Musk bought Twitter
The CEO of SpaceX may have been kidding, but years before acquiring the social media network, which is now known as X in 2022, he said something similar about what was then Twitter.
When Musk expressed his “love” for Twitter, a user responded, “You should buy it then.”
“How much is it?” Musk enquired in December of 2017. Few years later, the billionaire went on to purchase the social media platform for $44 billion. In April 2022, he made a comeback to the post and added an upside-down smile.
No matter how serious Musk is about the idea, there are already worries about the potential purchase.
The billionaire's acquisition of X permanently altered the social media scene.
Among his first actions was lifting a ban on former President Donald Trump, whose account had been blocked after he was unable to stop a group of his followers from storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Since Trump selected him to a position in the president-elect's administration, Bluesky, an alternative to X, has noticed an increase in new users fleeing the Musk-owned platform.
Trump hits out at MSNBC and other channels
Trump has already targeted MSNBC and other channels, calling on legislators to vote against measures to safeguard press freedoms and threatening to pressure the Federal Communications Commission to cancel broadcast licenses for networks he deems to be in violation of the law. Trump's choice to head the FCC has indicated a willingness to take action against networks, and Musk is also suggesting cutting federal funding to publicly supported news organisations.
Trump has also called MSNBC a “24-hour-hit job” and accused it of meddling in the election.
Last year, Trump filed lawsuits against up to 20 news outlets for allegedly exaggerating the losses he incurred on his Truth Social platform.
“There are only two media entities that Donald Trump dislikes more than CNN, One is MSNBC and the other is NBC,” according to Craig Moffett of media analysts Moffett Nathanson, who spoke to CNN.
