Elon Musk has called on Germans to support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the upcoming general election during a program he hosted with the party’s co-leader on his social media platform X.
Last year, Mr. Musk utilized X and his considerable wealth to assist Republican candidate Donald Trump in winning the presidential election in the United States on 5 November.
Currently, he is openly supporting far-right and anti-establishment parties in Europe as the election in Germany approaches on 23 February.
The world’s wealthiest individual has taken a special interest in Germany, where he opened Tesla’s first European factory in 2022.
During a discussion filled with laughter from both individuals, they concurred that Germany suffers from a “crazy” energy policy, excessive bureaucracy, and uncontrolled immigration.
“People really need to rally behind AfD; otherwise, things are going to get significantly worse in Germany,” Mr. Musk stated.
“I think Alice Weidel is a very reasonable person. Nothing outrageous is being suggested.”
He reiterated his endorsement of the AfD from last month, an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party regarded as right-wing extremist by German security agencies, causing concern in Berlin.
Speaking fluently in English, Ms. Weidel voiced appreciation for Mr. Musk’s backing, stating that her opportunity to speak with him was the first time in a decade she had a platform to express her views without interruptions from a media landscape she described as biased against her.
“People love to censor views they disagree with,” Mr. Musk agreed.
The two compared the media and German politicians’ reactions to the AfD to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s treatment of pro-Jewish advocates in the 1930s.
Leaders across Europe have reacted with alarm to Mr. Musk’s political engagements.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused him of undermining democracy, without naming him, while France’s foreign minister urged the European Union to rigorously utilize its laws to guard against external interference.
Ireland’s European Commissioner Michael McGrath stated the commission possesses strong powers to act if discussions violate EU law.
Mr. Musk, who identifies as a libertarian, has labeled German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier a “tyrant” for criticizing the AfD and has called for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign following a deadly car attack at a German Christmas market. Both officials are members of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).
The owner of Tesla and SpaceX recently reaffirmed his support for the AfD, calling the party “the last hope for Germany” in an opinion piece for Welt Am Sonntag.
Last August, he hosted a similar discussion with Mr. Trump, who has since assigned the entrepreneur the task of leading a campaign to enhance the efficiency of the US government.
Mr. Musk is currently embroiled in a bitter conflict with the British government regarding accusations he has made against Prime Minister Keir Starmer and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips over historic crimes committed by grooming gangs in northern England.
During his conversation with Ms. Weidel, Mr. Musk recalled the bureaucratic obstacles he encountered when opening the German Tesla factory.
“I think it was 25,000 pages was our permit. And it had to be all printed on paper,” he explained.
“And then there had to be numerous copies made. So it literally turned into a truckload of paper.”
On the topic of energy, Mr. Musk supported Germany’s renewable energy goals but agreed with Ms. Weidel that shutting down nuclear power plants was a poor decision.
“When I saw that Germany was shutting down its power plants after being cut off from gas supplies from Russia, I thought … this is one of the craziest things I’ve ever witnessed,” he remarked.
Mr. McGrath mentioned that the risk is that Mr. Musk could use in-built algorithms to artificially increase the visibility of the conversation in a manner that would benefit the AfD in the upcoming German election.
“The issue at hand is whether there is unfair amplification of certain content,” he stated before the broadcast of their conversation.
“There is never an issue or problem with conducting any interview. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in the European Union, and it is my responsibility to ensure that this right is upheld at all times.
“However, very large online platforms have tremendous power, and they can elevate certain content beyond others.
“When it comes to elections, we need to ensure they are conducted in a free and fair manner, without undue interference.”
As Justice Commissioner, Mr. McGrath plans to introduce legislation later this year to launch the EU’s so-called Democracy Shield, aimed at safeguarding European elections from outside manipulation.
His commission colleague, Henna Virkkunen, is accountable for the Digital Safety Act (DSA), which legally compels large social media platforms, like X, to ensure effective content moderation and the removal of harmful content.
Mr. McGrath remarked: “The [European] Commission services are prepared to intervene where necessary if we believe that the Digital Services Act has been violated.”
The commission is already conducting an investigation into X, initiated in December 2023, to determine whether the platform complies with the risk mitigation obligation under the DSA, how it moderates content, maintains advertising transparency, grants access to researchers, awards blue verification ticks, and whether it implements so-called dark patterns that manipulate users into making unplanned decisions.
Mr. McGrath confirmed that this investigation is distinct and must “follow due process”.
The commission will reach a conclusion once the necessary evaluations have been completed.
Mr. McGrath stated: “It is the misuse of technological tools that could potentially affect elections, where the commission has the authority to intervene as necessary, but that will happen on a case-by-case basis and always based on evidence that we can gather.”
The Digital Services Act was proposed before Mr. Musk acquired Twitter and renamed it as X.
When asked if the legislation had been overtaken by recent events, Mr. McGrath described the act as “a very powerful legislative tool” that the European Commission would utilize judiciously.
“We must, on one hand, protect freedom of speech, which is a fundamental right, and on the other hand, ensure that these major online platforms do not exploit their significant resources to promote particular messages with the intention of influencing electoral outcomes.
“We are prepared to act and to intervene using the DSA where appropriate. There are substantial penalties available to the commission, including hefty fines based on a percentage of the companies’ global turnover.
“However, these are measures we prefer not to take. The commission will intervene only based on substantial evidence,” he asserted.
Additional reporting by Tony Connelly
