Tech billionaire Elon Musk has ignited a firestorm of controversy after endorsing Germany’s far-right party in an op-ed for a major newspaper, just weeks before the country’s early parliamentary elections. The backlash has already led to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest.
Germany is set to head to the polls on February 23, following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition over disputes about revitalizing the stagnant economy.
Musk’s op-ed, published in German in Welt am Sonntag, a sister publication of POLITICO owned by the Axel Springer Group, marked the second time this month that Musk has voiced support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according AP’s report.
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“The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country,” Musk declared in his commentary, which was translated into English. He argued that the party could pave the way for “economic prosperity, cultural integrity, and technological innovation.”
As the CEO of Tesla, Musk justified his intervention by citing his investments in Germany, which he claimed gave him a stake in the country’s future.
The AfD, while polling strongly, faces significant barriers to power. Its leader, Alice Weidel, is unlikely to become chancellor, as other parties refuse to work with the far-right group.
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In his op-ed, Musk pushed back against the AfD’s public image, writing: “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’s comments have sparked a heated debate in German media about free speech and the role of outsiders in domestic politics. The controversy culminated in Welt am Sonntag’s opinion editor, Eva Marie Kogel, announcing her resignation on Musk’s social media platform, X.
“I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print,” Kogel wrote.
The paper faced criticism from politicians and other media for offering Musk a platform to endorse the AfD.
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz called Musk’s remarks “intrusive and presumptuous” in an interview with the Funke Media Group on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Social Democratic Party (SPD) co-leader Saskia Esken condemned Musk’s intervention, telling ARD public TV: “Anyone who tries to influence our election from outside, whether it’s the Russian state or the concentrated financial and media power of Elon Musk and his billionaire allies, must expect our tough resistance.”
Musk’s op-ed was accompanied by a critical response from the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard.
“Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” Burgard wrote.
In a joint statement to the German Press Agency (dpa), current editor-in-chief Ulf Poschardt and incoming editor Burgard defended publishing Musk’s article, describing the debate as “very insightful.”
“Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression,” they wrote. “This will continue to guide Die Welt as a forum for such debates.”
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