German government officials said Monday that Tesla founder Elon Musk will represent the country’s far-right party in the upcoming parliamentary elections, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed that doubled down on his support. They accused him of trying to interfere.
Musk is trying to promote his party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), as the party best placed to lead a fiscally responsible economy in Germany. He praises the party’s approach to regulation and taxation, but staunchly defends it against allegations of radicalism and neoliberalism. Nazi connections.
His comments have drawn the ire of German government officials, who said on Monday that the timing comes just weeks before Germany’s snap elections, regardless of whether Musk’s message achieves its objectives. He pointed out that it was clearly intended to influence a German audience. goal.
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(Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s far-right party AfD, participates in an AfD election campaign in front of the cathedral in Magdeburg, Germany, Monday, December 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Norouzi))
“It is true that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,” German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffman told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
Hoffman said Musk is free to express his opinion, adding: “At the end of the day, freedom of opinion includes the biggest nonsense.”
Musk has faced harsh criticism for his apparent support for the Alternative for Germany party weeks before February’s parliamentary elections.
Earlier this fall, Musk called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “stupid.”
Last week, Musk praised the AfD on his social media platform X, writing: “Only the AfD can save Germany.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives at the Capitol. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)
Musk doubled down on his support in an op-ed published in Germany’s center-right newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
“Painting the AfD as right-wing extremists is patently false, given that party leader Alice Weidel has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please? ” Musk said of AfD co-chair Alice Weidell.
He added that the AfD can “lead this country to a future where economic prosperity, cultural cohesion and technological innovation are not just aspirations but realities.”
Those comments prompted criticism from current and former U.S. lawmakers and leaders in Berlin, who pointed to the party’s reputation as a neo-Nazi group.
German government spokesman Hoffman said on Monday that Musk’s support for the AfD “is an invitation to vote for a party that is being watched.” [by domestic intelligence] suspected of being a right-wing extremist,” and “already partially identified as a right-wing extremist.”
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, also a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), criticized Musk’s intervention as “indecent and extremely problematic”.
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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Alison Robert/AFP/via Getty Images)
All of Germany’s mainstream political parties deny cooperation with the AfD, and its youth wing was designated a “confirmed extremist” group by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency earlier this year.
The AfD rejected that characterization.
Pushback from U.S. and German officials did little to deter Mr. Musk, who argued in an op-ed that Germany’s economy was crippled by overregulation and bureaucracy. He described the Alternative (AfD) as “the last spark of hope for Germany.” This country. ”
“Traditional political parties have failed in Germany,” Musk wrote in an op-ed for Germany’s SPD and other mainstream parties. “Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity.”
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The decision to publish Mr. Musk’s op-ed in the center-right newspaper was heavily criticized, leading Welt am Sonntag’s op-ed editor Eva Marie Kogel to announce her resignation.
Brianne Depiche is a political reporter for FOX News Digital, covering the 2024 election and other national news.
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