In a stunning turn of events, the German government has directly accused billionaire business magnate Elon Musk of attempting to sway the outcome of the country’s upcoming federal election. The allegations stem from Musk’s repeated public endorsements of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and scathing critiques of mainstream German politicians on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Musk’s Controversial Election Meddling
Government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann pulled no punches in her assessment of the situation, stating unequivocally, “It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election.” Hoffmann’s comments came in response to a series of posts by Musk on X expressing strong support for the AfD, which German authorities have classified as a suspected extremist party due to its anti-Muslim and anti-migration stances.
In one particularly provocative post, Musk declared, “Only the AfD can save Germany,” while sharing a video by a right-wing German influencer criticizing the conservative frontrunner in the election, Friedrich Merz. Musk followed this up with a guest editorial in the broadsheet Welt am Sonntag, in which he argued that Germany was on the brink of economic and cultural collapse, praised the AfD’s economic policies, and dismissed accusations of the party’s radicalism.
Outrage Across the Political Spectrum
Musk’s brazen intervention in German electoral politics has sparked outrage from politicians across party lines. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) called Musk’s actions “undignified and highly problematic,” while the conservative candidate Merz decried the tech mogul’s behavior as “intrusive and presumptuous.”
“I cannot recall in the history of western democracies a comparable case of interference in the election campaign of a friendly country.”
– Friedrich Merz, CDU/CSU candidate
Even German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial, felt compelled to address the controversy in a speech announcing the dissolution of parliament and the calling of early elections. Without mentioning Musk by name, Steinmeier warned of “outside influence” in the campaign and specifically cited recent “open and blatant” attempts on X to sway the vote.
AfD’s Troubling Trump Ties
Musk’s endorsement of the AfD comes amid the party’s concerted efforts to strengthen ties with Donald Trump and his allies in the United States. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel was one of the first foreign politicians to celebrate Trump’s 2016 election victory, and a group of AfD activists recently posed for photos with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago resort while chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” in English and German.
In his Welt am Sonntag article, Musk attempted to downplay the AfD’s extremist reputation, citing Weidel’s “same-sex partner from Sri Lanka” as evidence that portraying the party as “rightwing extremist is clearly false.” However, critics argue that this is a superficial and misleading characterization that ignores the party’s well-documented history of xenophobic and anti-democratic rhetoric and policies.
Potential Impact on Coalition Building
With current polls showing the AfD in second place behind Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc, there are growing concerns that a strong showing by the far-right party could complicate coalition building efforts after the election. All mainstream parties have thus far ruled out collaborating with the AfD at both the state and federal levels, potentially forcing the winning party to seek multiple partners to secure a governing majority.
As the campaign enters its final stretch, Musk’s unprecedented intervention has injected an element of chaos and uncertainty into what was already shaping up to be a contentious and closely-fought race. While the ultimate impact of his endorsements remains to be seen, there is no doubt that Musk has thrust himself into the center of a political firestorm that could have far-reaching consequences for Germany and Europe as a whole.
