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Elon Musk backs far-right party AfD in German newspaper opinion piece
“The AfD advocates a controlled immigration policy that prioritizes integration and the preservation of German culture and security,” Musk wrote.
Elon Musk reiterated his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, in an opinion piece published by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper less than two months before Germans go to the polls.
“The AfD, even though it is described as far-right, represents a political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel their concerns are ignored by the establishment,” the billionaire wrote in comments published on Saturday. “It addresses the problems of the day — without the political correctness that often obscures the truth.”
A key adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, Musk has extensive business interests in Germany, including a Tesla Inc. factory in the town of Gruenheide near Berlin. After frequently railing against German bureaucracy in the past, he has waded deeper into the country’s politics in recent weeks, disparaging Chancellor Olaf Scholz in posts on his social media platform X and using populist tropes to clamor for the anti-immigrant party that is campaigning for a German exit from the European Union and the euro.
Three state chapters of the AfD in the former communist east are classified as extremist and are under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.
“The AfD advocates a controlled immigration policy that prioritizes integration and the preservation of German culture and security,” Musk wrote. “This is not about xenophobia, but about ensuring that Germany does not lose its identity in the pursuit of globalization. A nation must preserve its core values and cultural heritage in order to remain strong and united.”
The piece was cited by Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate for chancellor in the Feb. 23 snap elections, on Musk’s social network X, which the billionaire subsequently reposted.
Musk is making a major mistake when he argues that it’s wrong to classify AfD as extremist, Welt’s designated Editor-in-Chief Jan Philipp Burgard wrote in comments accompanying the column, pointing to the party’s positions on ties with the European Union and Russia, as well as its position on immigration.
Scholz’s Social Democrats are trailing behind the AfD and the conservative CDU/CSU bloc in election polls. The conservatives are in the lead with about 31%, while the AfD has seen its support climb to 19%, according to the latest Bloomberg polling average. The Social Democrats hold 16%.
