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Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, arrives to speak to the media with AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla shortly after the AfD leadership confirmed Weidel as the party candidate for chancellor on December 07. 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Maryam Will | Getty Images
Elon Musk used his social network X to promote the far-right Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD, which is hosting a live debate on Thursday with party leader Alice Weidel, a candidate for chancellor, before the general election on February 23.
“I really strongly recommend that people vote for AfD,” Musk, who is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX in addition to its role at X, he said about half an hour into the conversation. “This is my strong recommendation.”
The AfD has been classified as a “suspected extremist organization” by Germany’s domestic intelligence services. The party’s platform calls for tougher asylum laws, mass deportations, cuts to social and welfare support in Germany, and the reversal of restrictions on combustion engine vehicles.
Thierry Breton, former commissioner of the European Union for the internal market, said in a January 4 placed on X addressed to Weidel: “As a European citizen concerned about the proper use of the systemic platforms authorized to operate in the EU … especially to protect our democratic rules against illegal or wrong behavior during election times , I think it is crucial to remember” The live discussion on X would give AfD and Weidel “a significant and valuable advantage over your competitors”.
While the AfD has amassed around 20% of public support, according to broadcaster DW’s report, the party is unlikely to be part of a coalition government, as most other parties have pledged not to work with him
AfD he protested earlier the construction of Tesla’s electric vehicle factory outside Berlin, in part because the factory provided jobs to people who were not German citizens.
Early endorsements of Musk’s AfD, including tweets complimenting the party and an editorial in a German newspaper, angered European government officials. Musk, the world’s richest person, has also endorsed far-right and anti-establishment candidates and causes in the UK.
Political leaders in France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom denounced his influence, NBC News reported earlier, warning that Musk should not participate in the elections of his countries.
Musk, who was one of the president-elect By Donald Trump top backers in the November election, first promoted Trump in a live-streaming discussion on X. Before that, he hosted a conversation with the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, who lost to Trump in the Republican primary.
Weidel during Thursday’s speech asked Musk what Trump could do to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to a conclusion, as the president-elect suggested he could do so quickly.
Musk oppressed himself.
“To be clear this is up to President Trump, he’s commander and chief, so it’s really up to him,” Musk said. “I don’t want to speak for him, but you know I think there is a path to a resolution, but it takes strong leadership in the United States to do that.”
Musk also weighed in on what he thought should be done in Gaza, which has been attacked by Israel since Hamas’ deadly incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023.
“There is no choice but to eliminate those who want to eliminate the state of Israel, you know Hamas essentially,” Musk said. “So, the second step is to fix the education so that the Palestinians are not trained since they are children to hate and want the death of Israel.”
“So the third thing, which is also very important, is to make the Palestinian areas prosper.”
– CNBC Sophie Kiderlin contributed to this report.
