Charles Foster Kane was the fictional character whose life was highlighted in the classic film Citizen Kane. Orson Welles produced, directed, and starred in the movie, often cited as the greatest film ever made. It was loosely based on the real-life William Randolph Hearst, who developed the nation’s largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. More than any other individual of his time, Hearst influenced what Americans believed about the world they lived in. He had no concern for journalistic ethics, practicing yellow journalism to increase sales.
Elon Musk, the South African billionaire attached to President-elect Donald Trump's hip, is similar to Kane and Hearst. His life is equally complicated, and he has as much influence on what information America receives as Kane in the movie and Hearst in real life. Kane lived in the palatial residence Xanadu, which in the film used overhead shots of Hearst Castle overlooking the Pacific Ocean in California.
Musk at one time appeared in competition with Kane and Hearst. He once owned several mansions in California including a 16,251-square-foot home with six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The palatial estate was built in 1990 in an architectural style reminiscent of a French château and featured a two-story library, wine cellar, tennis court, pool, and home theater. The home sold for a staggering $29 million.
In 2020, Musk announced he was selling all his homes, asking $100 million for the seven combined, vowing to own no home. Musk now reportedly lives in a $50,000 tiny home in Boca Chica, Texas.
This came during a period when the Tesla board of directors was increasingly concerned about Musk’s mental health and drug use—as reported in a Wall Street Journal article. The Journal said Musk has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties. The New York Times reported in August 2018 that directors had expressed concern about Musk’s use of the sedative Ambien; he puffed a marijuana cigarette on comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast.
William Randolph Hearst and Elon Musk showed an interest in politics. Hearst was twice elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1904, Mayor of New York City in 1905 and 1909, and for Governor of New York in 1906. During his political career, he espoused views generally associated with the left wing of the Progressive Movement, claiming to speak on behalf of the working class.
As time went by, Hearst became supportive of Nazi Germany. His newspapers mastheads proclaimed America First, and he celebrated the “great achievement” of the new Nazi regime in Germany — a lesson to all “liberty-loving people.” Hearst went to Berlin to interview Adolf Hitler. Hitler wondered why the American press so misunderstood him.
William Randolph Hearst instructed his reporters in Germany to give positive coverage of the Nazis and fired journalists who refused to write stories favorable to German fascism. Hearst’s papers ran columns without rebuttals by Nazi leader Hermann Göring, Alfred Rosenberg, and Hitler himself, as well as Mussolini and other dictators in Europe and Latin America.
Elon Musk has signaled his support for a neo-fascist political party in Gemarny’s February elections. Musk endorsed Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right, anti-immigrant, and antisemitic party that is gaining popularity among conservative Germans.
“Only the AfD can save Germany,” said Musk
AfD is vehemently anti-immigration, particularly with regard to Muslims, calling for a “net zero” number of immigrants entering Germany in the coming years. Leaders of the party have repeatedly made racist and antisemitic statements, emphasizing a need to return to a German “identity” and pushing other white nationalist views; AfD leader Alexander Gauland, for example, has described immigration to the country as an “invasion of foreigners” that he and his party intend to fight off.
The party has also called for changes to how Nazi Germany is depicted in historical settings, such as monuments, schools, and museums, with Gauland once minimizing the country’s Nazi history as being no more than “just a speck of bird’s muck.” Other AfD members have denied Nazi wrongdoing, including by describing the Holocaust as a “myth.” In America, Musk has called for the deportation of protesters utilizing the First Amendment to attack views he disagrees with. He has also promoted antisemitic, anti-Muslim, transphobic, and other bigoted content on his profile and has shared content denying the Holocaust.
Musk, Kane, and Hearst all had problematic personal lives. Hearst was married to Millicent Veronica Willson, whom he met when she was a chorus girl almost twenty years his junior. They never divorced, but she left him, disgusted with his long-term affair with actress Marion Davies, whom he openly lived with in California. Patricia Lake was often presented as Davies’s “niece. " Her family confirmed after her death that she was Davies and Hearst’s daughter. Hearst had five sons with his wife, Millicent.
Charles Foster Kane had two failed marriages. He tried to make his second wife, Susan, an opera singer, though she couldn’t sing. He finally gave up, forcing her to pursue that career after a suicide attempt.
Elon Musk’s relationships cannot be briefly summarized. He has at least 12 children, one of whom is actually deceased, and another he declared dead after transitioning from male to female and stating she wanted no association with Musk. Many of Musk’s anti-woke feelings evolved with the “loss” of his son.
“You know, they call it deadnaming for a reason," said Musk. "The reason it’s called deadnaming is because your son is dead. My son is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”
Vivian Jenna Wilson responded publicly, criticizing Musk for lying about her and the circumstances of her transition; saying that Musk was “cold”, “quick to anger”, “uncaring and narcissistic”, whose infrequent visits commonly involved him berating her for being feminine. On November 7, 2024, in response to a news article about his daughter’s reaction to Trump’s win, Elon Musk wrote, “The woke mind virus killed my son.”
Musk married Canadian author Justine Wilson once and then divorced her. He married and divorced English actress Talulah Riley twice. He dated actress Amber Heard in 2017 after arguably stalking her for five years. He was involved with Canadian singer Grimes for several years. Grimes herself wasn’t always sure as to the status of their relationship.
“I would probably refer to him as my boyfriend, but we’re very fluid,” saidGrimes.
Things were more apparent by October 2023, when Grimes sued Musk for custody of their eldest son. Along the way, Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, in 2021, leading to their divorce the following year. Musk denied the report. He also had a relationship with Australian actress Natasha Bassett, who has been described as “an occasional girlfriend.” In October 2024, The New York Times reported Musk bought a Texas compound for his children and the mothers of his children.
Unlike Hearst, Musk never had the opportunity to run for president as the Constitution prohibited him because he was born in South Africa. His situation is better, getting to act as president without having had to run in a messy election. He is already being referred to a President Musk which is bound to lead to a confrontation with Donald Trump. How will Trump threaten America’s richest man?” Musk’s wealth dwarfs Trump's claimed wealth, with reposts estimating his worth between $400–500 Billion. Musk, on the other hand, can cripple some of America’s military capability by his use or refusal to use Starlink, which he owns, as he did in siding with Russia in its war with Ukraine, denying Ukraine the ability to use that service to target Russian sites. Musk has billions in contracts from the U.S. government, and Tesla has averted a financial disaster with a bailout from the Obama administration. Musk also has billions in contracts with China. Should America and China ever collide, which side will Elon Musk choose?
Charles Foster Kane is a fictional character, yet Elon Musk has more power than Kane or William Randolph Hearst ever dreamed of. Nobody imagined the wealthiest man in the world would be dictating government policy and controlling the leading social media site to justify his actions. He has the ability and the will to portray Nazi Germany in a new light and put in place the politicians who either agree with him or refuse to stand in his way.
Citizen Musk is like a supervillain from a Marvel or DC movie. Musk is like Dr. Doom without the mask. The remaining question is, who will stand in his way as he brings the Apartheid of his upbringing to American shores?
This article originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium.