New York
CNN
—
Elon Musk is wading into more than just American politics, throwing his support behind a far-right German political party.
Musk, the billionaire Trump ally who is playing a public role in the incoming administration, posted in support Friday of Alternative for Germany, or AfD, after the German government collapsed this week.
“Only the AfD can save Germany,” Musk wrote Friday while re-posting a video from far-right political activist Naomi Seibt.
The AfD, which has recently seen its popularity swell, has touted populist and anti-immigrant “Germany first” positions. But the party has also been accused of resurrecting Nazi-era ideology and slogans. In May, a judge ruled that Germany’s domestic intelligence agency could continue to keep the the AfD under surveillance for the alleged threat it poses to German democracy, rejecting a challenge by the party.
Its youth arm, the Young Alternative (JA), has been designated by German authorities as a “confirmed extremist” organization. The party’s lead candidate in the eastern German state of Thuringia, Björn Höcke, was convicted earlier this year after breaking German laws against uttering Nazi slogans in public.
But the party has seen growing support. AfD recently became the first far-right party to win a state election in Germany since the Nazi era, though all of the country’s mainstream political parties have said they will not sit with them in a coalition, which will be necessary to form enough seats for a ruling government.
It’s not the first time Musk has waded into German politics. In June, he responded to a video of Seibt’s asking “Why is there such a negative reaction from some about AfD? They keep saying ‘far right,’ but the policies of AfD that I’ve read about don’t sound extremist. Maybe I’m missing something,” he wrote. And last month he labeled German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool” after his governing coalition collapsed.
On Friday, Musk continued posting about the AfD, writing in response to a user’s post about the party’s immigration policy that it “sounds reasonable.”
Musk began following AfD leader Alice Weidel on X who responded to his endorsement, posting a video expressing gratitude.
“Alternative for Germany is indeed the one and only alternative for our country; our very last option. I wish you and President Donald Trump all the best for the upcoming tenure!” she wrote.
Christian Lindner, the leader of Germany’s pro-business Free Democratic Party, also responded to Musk’s post Friday urging him not to “rush to conclusions from afar.”
“While migration control is crucial for Germany, the AfD stands against freedom, business – and it’s a far-right extremist party,” Lindner wrote.
Musk has increasingly thrown his support behind far-right causes in Europe. Earlier this year, Musk agitated anti-immigration riots in the UK, writing on his social media platform that “civil war is inevitable” in response to a post blaming the violent demonstrations on the effects of “mass migration and open borders.”
Earlier this week, Nigel Farage, the far-right populist British politician and Trump ally, said Musk was considering funding his Reform UK party.
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Farage said that after meeting with Musk he “left us in no doubt that he is right behind us” and was in “ongoing negotiations” about making a financial contribution.