'Traitor To The West': Elon Musk Slams The Economist Editor Zanny Minton Beddoes. Who Is She?
'Traitor To The West': Elon Musk Slams The Economist Editor Zanny Minton Beddoes. Who Is She? Published By, Last Updated: July 26, 2026, 15:23 IST
'Traitor To The West': Elon Musk Slams The Economist Editor Zanny Minton Beddoes. Who Is She? Published By, Last Updated: July 26, 2026, 15:23 IST After the editor of The Economist challenged Musk's characterisation of the West, he described her as the traitor to the West. Rapid Read Zanny Minton Beddoes is the editor of The Economist. (Image source: Reuters) The richest person on Earth called the Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, Zanny Minton Beddoes, a “traitor to the West" for her belief that Elon Musk was irresponsible for spreading information that are “simply not true". And she is a traitor, “plain and simple", said Musk in response. She is a traitor to the West, plain and simple— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2026 The controversy erupted in the aftermath of a testy interview that Zanny took of Musk.
During the interview, Musk made comments like a possible civil war in the UK, unprecedented crime levels in London, and more. Zanny challenged Musk’s characterisation of Europe which incensed the eccentric owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and the micro-blogging site X, on which he fired his salvo at Beddoes. The Economist’s editor, in a separate interview given later to CNBC, she said, “It’s irresponsible for someone who has 240 million followers to propagate things that are simply not true." Musk acknowledged later that he may have overstepped in his political involvement. “I think I got a little too involved in politics, got carried away, frankly," he said. During the interview, he defended the core objective of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying it was intended to ensure public funds were not “wasted or spent on fraudulent activities," even as he admitted the effort drew significant criticism.
He also rejected claims that aid cuts linked to the initiative had deadly consequences. When asked whether children in Africa died due to the sudden withdrawal of funding, Musk responded: “Zero." Minton Beddoes is widely regarded as a leading voice in global economics. She previously worked at the International Monetary Fund and served as an adviser to Poland’s finance minister. An Oxford and Harvard graduate, she became editor-in-chief of The Economist in 2015, the first woman to hold the position in the publication’s 180-year history. She has been recognised by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful women and is known for her analysis of global economic and political trends. She has also received multiple honours in journalism, including the 2017 Loeb Award for breaking news for The Economist’s reporting on Saudi Aramco, and the 2012 Loeb Award for economic journalism.
The BriefWire