President Michael D Higgins has labelled Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter as a “manifestation of an incredible and dangerous narcissism”.
President Higgins was speaking at the the inaugural conference of Dublin City University (DCU) Centre for Climate and Society on Thursday.
While Mr Higgins did not name the world's richest man, the reference to Mr Musk was clear.
“Is it a great success that a multi-billionaire would be now deciding what is appropriate for people to exchange by way of discourse? I think it can hardly be described as anything other than a manifestation of an incredible and dangerous narcissism,” he said.
He also referenced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which he called "entirely illegal and in breach of every principle of international law”.
The president also criticised a perceived lack of equal concern for the people of other war torn countries.
“The incredible disaster being imposed on the people of Ukraine is in a way now, in getting coverage, is distracting us. At the same time as I’m looking at the horror [in Ukraine], I’m looking at what is happening in relation to Somalia... people dragging their dead animals across the depleted soil,” he said.
President Higgins said a lack of action on climate change could be regarded as "criminal damage" by future generations.
Covid-19 pandemic
He also said the Covid-19 pandemic was proof that those who claim the role of the State should be kept to a minimum were wrong.
“Just think of where we were before Covid? There was a significant argument that people — who have now ran to the bushes — more or less said that the role of the State must be kept minimal, that the market has the capacity to handle all of our problems, getting the state out of the way.
“And yet in every significant area, it was the State that managed, that responded, to the Covid crisis. As I look across the legislation of different countries, the State’s leadership is crucial...it is a direct contradiction of the market theory [proponents] who are simply saying the State is costly and too large and so forth."
