Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk publicly endorsed a far-right German political party in a major newspaper, sparking a significant uproar and leading to the resignation of the paper's opinion editor in protest. Musk's move, coming ahead of key parliamentary elections in Western countries, is proving highly controversial.
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02-11, 2025Germany is set for snap elections on February 23, following the collapse last month of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party ruling coalition over how to revive the country’s stagnating economy. Musk's guest commentary for Welt am Sonntag, a sister publication of POLITICO under the Axel Springer group, marks the second time this month he has publicly supported the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
“The AfD is the last ray of hope for this country,” Musk wrote in his commentary, further stating that the far-right party “can lead the country to a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but a reality.” The Tesla CEO also wrote that his investments in Germany give him the right to comment on the state of the country.
The AfD is polling strongly, but its top candidate, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming Chancellor as other parties refuse to work with the far-right group. An ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, the tech billionaire questioned the party’s public image in his commentary. He wrote: “The portrayal of AfD as right-wing extremists is clearly wrong, considering the party leader Alice Weidel has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler? Come on!”
Musk’s commentary ignited a debate in German media about the limits of free speech, with the paper’s opinion editor announcing her resignation on Musk’s social media platform X. She wrote: “I have always enjoyed leading the opinion sections of Welt and Welt am Sonntag. Today, an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday, after the article went to print, I handed in my resignation.”
Jan-Philipp Burgard, the incoming editor-in-chief of the Welt group, penned a critical article that ran alongside Musk’s commentary. Burgard wrote: “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his cure, that only the AfD can save Germany, is a fatal error.”
In a joint statement to the German press agency (dpa) in response to a request for comment, the Welt group's current editor-in-chief, Ulf Poschardt, and Burgard, who will take over on January 1, said that the discussion about Musk's article was "very insightful." They wrote to dpa: “Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of speech.” They also stated, “This will continue to determine the future direction of Welt. We will develop Welt even more decisively into a forum for such debates.”
