Elon Musk doubles down on AfD support and urges people not to liken party's leader to Hitler
Matt Goodwin defines national populism after the AfD's electoral win in the region of Thuringia
GB News
Elon Musk has doubled down on his support for Germany's hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in an opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag newspaper, calling it the "last spark of hope" for the country and urges people not to liken the party's leader to Adolf Hitler.
The endorsement comes ahead of Germany's snap elections on February 23, 2025, which were triggered after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party governing coalition collapsed last month over economic policy disputes.
In his guest commentary, published in German, Musk claimed Germany was "on the brink of economic and cultural collapse" and argued that his "significant investments" in the country gave him the right to speak out.
Musk defended the AfD against accusations of being far-right, pointing to party leader Alice Weidel's personal life.
Elon Musk claimed Germany was "on the brink of economic and cultural collapse" and argued that his "significant investments" in the country gave him the right to speak out
Reuters
"Portraying the AfD as far-right is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party's leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Come on!" Musk wrote in the piece.
The Tesla CEO claimed the AfD "can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality."
He argued that "traditional parties have failed in Germany" and that the AfD represents "political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel their concerns are ignored by the establishment."
The controversy led to the immediate resignation of Welt am Sonntag's opinion editor Eva Marie Kogel, who announced her departure on Musk's own social media platform, X.
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Alice Weidel has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor, as other parties refuse to work with the AfD
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She wrote: "I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print."
The AfD is currently polling strongly ahead of the February elections, though its candidate Alice Weidel has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor, as other parties refuse to work with the AfD.
The publication of Musk's piece has ignited a broader debate in German media about freedom of expression.
Jan Philipp Burgard, the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, wrote a critical response accompanying Musk's opinion piece, stating: "Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong."
The current and incoming editors-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt and Burgard, defended the paper's decision to publish Musk's views in a joint statement to the German Press Agency.
"Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression," they wrote, adding that Die Welt would continue to develop "even more decisively as a forum for such debates."
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