In a highly controversial move, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk hosted a live discussion with Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), on his social media platform X. During the event, which attracted significant attention with over 200,000 viewers, Musk unequivocally declared, "Only AfD can save Germany, end of story,” urging voters to support the party in upcoming elections set for February 23, 2025 (source: Reuters).

Musk's engagement in European politics has raised alarms among leaders across the continent. Critics argue he is meddling in the electoral process and undermining democratic norms. For instance, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that such interventions threaten to resurrect fascism, while French officials urged the European Commission to fortify protections against external political influences like Musk’s (source: CNN). Nevertheless, Musk maintained that his substantial investments in Germany, particularly Tesla's first European plant, justified his involvement in the nation's political discourse (source: Al Jazeera).

During the 74-minute livestream, Musk and Weidel discussed various topics ranging from energy policies to immigration, sharing a common critique of Germany's nuclear phase-out and what they perceived as excessive bureaucracy and immigration issues. Musk described Weidel as a “very reasonable person” and championed her views as common sense (source: BBC).

The AfD, which has been characterized as a right-wing extremist party by German authorities, is polling second in public opinion but remains a pariah among conventional political parties. Weidel defended the AfD against comparisons to historical fascism, controversially asserting that Hitler was “a communist,” a claim that has drawn skepticism from historians (source: Newsweek).

Musk’s actions have sparked a fierce backlash in Germany and beyond, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stating that the country’s fate should not depend on “the owners of social media platforms,” clearly indicating his disapproval of Musk's public support of the AfD (source: South China Morning Post).

Although many European leaders are voicing caution against Musk's powerful influence, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended him, suggesting that his views should be seen as mere expressions of individual opinion rather than threats to democracy (source: Le Monde).

As the elections draw nearer, all eyes will remain on Musk and the impact of his support on the political landscape in Germany.