Germany accuses Elon Musk of trying to interfere in its national elections
German government officials accused Tesla founder Elon Musk on Monday of attempting to interfere in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country's far-right political party, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed doubling down on his endorsement.
Musk has attempted to bill the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as the party best positioned to usher in a fiscally responsible economy in Germany—praising the party's approach to regulations and taxes, while also strenuously defending against allegations of radicalism and neo-Nazi ties.
His comments have sparked the ire of top German government officials, who noted Monday that the timing comes just weeks ahead of Germany's snap parliamentary elections—and are, in their view, clearly intended to influence a German audience, regardless of whether Musk's messaging accomplishes that goal.
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"It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election," German government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann told reporters at a press briefing Monday.
Hoffmann said that Musk is free to express his opinion, adding: "After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense."
Musk has come under sharp criticism for his apparent endorsement for the Alternative for Germany political party just weeks before it holds snap parliamentary elections in February.
Musk has railed against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this fall as a "fool."
Musk also praised the AfD last week on his social media platform, X, writing: "Only the AfD can save Germany."
Musk doubled down on his endorsement in an op-ed published in the German center-right newspaper, Welt am Sonntag.
"The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist 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? Please!" Musk said of AfD co-chair Alice Weidel.
He added that in his view, the AfD "can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality."
Those remarks have sparked criticism from current and former U.S. lawmakers, and from leaders in Berlin, who noted the party’s reputation as a neo-Nazi group.
German health minister Karl Lauterbach, also a member of the Social Democratic party (SPD), criticized Musk’s intervention as "undignified and highly problematic."
All mainstream German political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, and its youth wing was designated as a "confirmed extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency earlier this year.
The AfD, for its part, has rejected that characterization.
The pushback from U.S. and German officials has done little to deter Musk, who used his op-ed to argue that the German economy is crippled by regulatory overreach and bureaucracy, describing the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "the last spark of hope for this country."
"The traditional parties have failed in Germany," Musk wrote in the op-ed of Germany's SPD and other mainstream parties. "Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity."
The decision to run Musks's op-ed in a center-right newspaper was heavily criticized and prompted Welt am Sonntag's opinion editor, Eva Marie Kogel, to announce her resignation.