Elon Musk Supports AfD in German Op-Ed, Prompting Editor's Resignation Amid Election

Dec 28, 2024, 08:34 PM

Elon Musk has publicly supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in an opinion piece published by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. In the article, Musk described Germany as being on the brink of economic and cultural collapse, asserting that the AfD represents the 'last spark of hope' for the country. He argued that the portrayal of the AfD as a right-wing extremist party is false, citing the party's leader Alice Weidel's same-sex partnership with someone from Sri Lanka. Musk's endorsement of the AfD has sparked controversy, leading to the resignation of Eva Marie Kogel, the head of the opinion section at Welt am Sonntag, in protest of the publication of Musk's piece. The op-ed was published ahead of Germany's snap federal election scheduled for February 23, where the AfD is currently polling second with around 19% support. Musk justified his involvement in German politics by citing his significant investments in the country. Jan Philipp Burgard, the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, responded to Musk's piece, agreeing with his diagnosis of Germany's crisis but criticizing his solution of supporting the AfD as 'fatally wrong'.