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The world’s richest man is preparing to broadcast Germany’s far-right, but he does not seem to get Europeans.
Analysis Based on factual reporting, although it Incorporates the expertise of the author/producer and may offer interpretations and conclusions.
[Photo illustration by Esther Snippe for Euractiv. Photo credit: EPA and Shutterstock.]
Languages: Bulgarian
BERLIN – It started as the kind of trolling typical of Donald Trump’s favourite ‘stable genius’.
“Wow, Germany carries a lot of the cost of the EU!” Elon Musk posted on X in November, evidently hoping to trigger outrage in Germany over its status as the bloc‘s largest financial contributor.
It turns out that stating the obvious in Germany does not galvanise the masses as it does in Musk’s adopted American homeland.
His solution was to double down, endorsing Germany’s Russia-friendly, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party (AfD) in December. He said the AfD was the only political force that could “save Germany.”
On Thursday, Musk, who runs Tesla and Space X in his spare time, will host a much-anticipated livestream on X with its co-leader, Alice Weidel. This will mark a new escalation in his grudge match with Europe.
Germany is not Musk’s first or favourite target, however. The world’s richest man spent much of last August fuelling racist riots in Northern England with posts warning of “civil war”.
Since then, the trolling has become a full-fledged campaign favouring European far-right parties.
While triggering some hysteria, most Europeans have responded to the antics with bemusement. Sixty-eight per cent of German respondents in a YouGov poll published on Wednesday believe that Musk does not properly understand their country.
A representative British poll shows two-thirds do not want him to become influential in UK politics.
For his latest provocation, the South African-born entrepreneur thus is taking no prisoners by appearing live with Weidel, a political pariah. Though the AfD is polling in second place at around 18%, most Germans consider it beyond the pale.
Musk’s American playbook
Musk is clearly looking to build a political power base in Europe, similar to his successful campaign to help Donald Trump regain the American presidency.
This means following his American playbook of talking up outsider candidates with provocative statements, contributing his reach and financial power.
Like his endorsement of Trump on X, Musk publicly backed the AfD on social networks in December. He then rattled Germany’s establishment with an op-ed published in the prestigious newspaper Welt, in which he argued that the AfD would end Germany’s economic decline and defended it against accusations of extremism.
Musk claimed critics were “clearly wrong,” noting that Weidel has a female, ethnic-minority partner. “Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” he wrote.
In parallel, it emerged that Musk was considering donating $100 million to the far-right Reform UK party of Brexit activist Nigel Farage, whom he has since turned against.
Musk also dredged up a decade-old British child grooming scandal on X to discredit Prime Minister Keir Starmer, then the head of Britain’s public prosecution.
In Italy, he caused a stir by publicly attacking judges who ruled against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plan to process asylum seekers in a remote corner of north Albania, writing on X that they should lose their jobs.
Doubling down on his support and scathing attacks in the following days, Musk has made no secret of his support for the Italian premier who has also been working to position herself as a trans-Atlantic mediator with Trump.
It then emerged that Italy is in talks with SpaceX for a €1.5 billion secure telecommunications system for government use, despite the fact it is already signed up for an EU alternative created to limit the use of non-EU service providers.
Musk responded on X by hinting that more EU countries will follow suit.
Patience for the long haul?
Europe’s top brass appear alarmed. Musk’s actions got the leaders of its three most populous countries to weigh in, with Britain’s Starmer, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and France’s Emmanuel Macron all criticising his interventions.
Musk hinted that others will follow Italy’s lead in working with his satellite communication service.
Their nervousness is warranted, Claes de Vreese, a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam, told Euractiv, adding this kind of intervention is unchartered territory for Europe, particularly as Musk is a combination of someone who has a political project and owns one of the most global communications networks.
“This could be a potent force,” he said.
De Vreese argues that this distinguishes Musk from Steve Bannon, another Trump confidant, who also tried to export Trump’s success to Europe after his 2016 victory – to little avail.
However, in the short term, a success similar to that in the American elections, where Trump swept into power with Musk’s support, appears impossible in Europe.
“Generally, it will be hard for American political forces to intervene in Europe,” said de Vreese. He pointed to a complex political culture that is difficult for outsiders to understand and a multi-party political system favouring nuance over polarisation.
Musk’s attack on Germany’s EU involvement—the country is solidly pro-European—fully displayed his lack of sensitivity for Europe. X users even tagged his post with a community note to mark its dubious context.
Musk is thus unlikely to move the needle much in Germany’s February election.
Political scientist Uwe Jun of the University of Trier pointed to the far-right AfD’s limited voting potential, with no more than 25% of voters prepared to vote for it. The attention could boost its vote share still, he believes, if only by a fraction of a per cent.
Even so, Musk’s campaign will leave a mark. “It will help to normalise and legitimise the AfD – and that is what the party is striving for,” Jun said.
[Edited by Matthew Karnitschnig/ Alice Taylor-Braçe]
Languages: Bulgarian
Updated: 09-01-2025
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