Musk’s support for Trump has caused a huge backlash in Germany, with mainstream political leaders claiming it amounts to election interference. Given Musk’s relationship with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, some opponents suggested there may be interference from the next U.S. administration.
Rolf Mützenich, a prominent politician from Germany’s Social Democratic Party, said the German government needed to clarify “whether the repeated disrespect, slander and interference in the election campaign were also expressed in the name of the new US government.” told Media Spiegel.
A German government spokesperson also accused Musk of “trying to influence the federal election”, adding: “Freedom of opinion includes the greatest nonsense.”
It is unclear whether Mr. Musk’s support for the AfD will help the party’s electoral chances. The AfD is currently in second place with 19%. Germany’s conservative coalition leads with 30%, putting Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, in pole position to be the next chancellor candidate.
Musk’s support for the AfD raises questions about how Trump will work with Germany’s next government, which is likely to be led by conservatives. During his first term as president, Trump was particularly antipathetic to Germany and then-chancellor Angela Merkel.
Musk used the X Streaming feature space to conduct a similar live discussion with Trump in August, but the unstructured conversation was hampered by a series of technical issues, a major embarrassment for the platform.
