Elon Musk praises German far-right leader in controversial XSpace discussion

Elon Musk has publicly praised Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, during a 75-minute live conversation on his social media platform X, repeating his assertion that “only the AfD can save Germany.”

The virtual discussion on January 9 has sparked criticism, with accusations that Musk is meddling in Germany’s 23 February election, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The conversation, which ranged from energy policy and education to broader philosophical topics, saw Musk express alignment with the anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin party, which polls at 21.5%, behind the conservative CDU/CSU. Musk mispronounced Weidel’s name as “Weedel” throughout the discussion.

Musk emphasized the importance of reducing bureaucratic hurdles in Germany and addressing illegal immigration, aligning with the AfD's key policy stances. He also called for an end to the war in Ukraine, asserting, “President Trump is going to solve that conflict very quickly.” When pressed on the measures to achieve this, Musk responded hesitantly: “To be clear, this is up to President Trump. He is the commander in chief … I don’t want to speak for him … but it does require strong leadership in the States to get it done.”

When talking about space exploration, Musk projected that uncrewed spacecraft could reach Mars within two years, with crewed missions following in four. He envisioned a future where Martians could come to the aid of Earth in emergencies, drawing a comparison to America's role in rescuing Europe during World War II.

The AfD, classified as a rightwing extremist group by German intelligence, has faced heightened scrutiny in recent weeks. Musk previously called President Frank-Walter Steinmeier a “tyrant” for criticizing the party and demanded Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s resignation after a deadly car attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg.

LobbyControl, a group advocating for transparency, is looking into whether the discussion breached German campaign finance regulations, as it could be seen as political advertising. However, a spokesperson for Weidel rejected the accusations, clarifying that the conversation was not an unlawful party donation but rather a valid exercise of free speech.

Germany’s federal network agency announced it would monitor X for potential algorithmic manipulation surrounding the event. Meanwhile, the European Commission has stated it is examining whether the discussion complies with the Digital Services Act, though it raised no immediate objections.

By Vugar Khalilov