During a recent livestream on X, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made headlines by declaring unwavering support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), asserting that “Only AfD can save Germany, end of story.” This statement was directed towards a discussion with Alice Weidel, the party leader, on January 9, as Germany braces for upcoming elections scheduled for February 23.

Musk’s remarks, which included a plea for German voters to support the AfD, reflect his increasing influence in European political matters and his alignment with right-wing ideologies. He stated, “People really need to get behind AfD, otherwise things are going to get very, very much worse in Germany,” reinforcing his position as an ally of the party.

The AfD, known for its right-wing stances and founded in 2013, continues to gain traction, polling around 20 percent. However, it remains isolated, lacking coalition partners as other parties have distanced themselves from its extremist factions, labeled as such by Germany's domestic intelligence service. Musk’s endorsement has ignited significant backlash across Europe, prompting concerns from leaders such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who warned that fascism could return as Musk “openly attacks our institutions.”

In their conversation, both Musk and Weidel disparaged “woke” political movements and mainstream media, attributing blame to them for perceived societal issues like criminal immigrants and online censorship. While affirming Musk’s viewpoint, Weidel attempted to differentiate her party's identity from that of the Nazi regime, asserting that historical interpretations of Adolf Hitler as conservative were misleading, claiming, “He was exactly the opposite.”

Musk's recent comments have prompted French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to call on the European Commission to firmly address outside political influences, stating that “we have to wake up” to protect member states from such interventions.

As this situation unfolds, the spotlight remains on both Musk's influence on European politics and the controversial position of the AfD as it heads into critical elections.

Additional insights can be found in the full articles on SCMP and Le Monde.