Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, arrives to talk to the media with AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla shortly after the AfD leadership confirmed Weidel because the party’s candidate for chancellor on December 07, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.Â
Maryam Majd | Getty Images
Elon Musk used his social network X to advertise Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party, often known as AfD, hosting a live discussion Thursday with party leader Alice Weidel, a candidate for chancellor, ahead of a general election on Feb. 23.
“I’m really strongly recommending that folks vote for AfD,” Musk, who’s CEO of Tesla and SpaceX along with his role at X, said a couple of half hour into the conversation. “That is my strong suggestion.”
The AfD has been classified as a “suspected extremist organization” by German domestic intelligence services. The party’s platform calls for rigid asylum laws, mass deportations, cuts to social and welfare support in Germany, and the reversal of restrictions on combustion engine vehicles.
Thierry Breton, former European Union commissioner for the inner market, said in a Jan. 4 post on X directed at Weidel: “As a European citizen concerned with the correct use of systemic platforms authorized to operate within the EU … especially to guard our democratic rules against illegal or misbehavior during election times, I feel it’s crucial to remind you” that a live discussion on X would give AfD and Weidel “a big and worthwhile advantage over your competitors.”
While AfD has amassed about 20% of public support, in line with reporting from broadcaster DW, the party is unlikely to form a part of a coalition government, as most other parties have vowed to not work with it.
AfD previously protested the build-out of Tesla’s electric vehicle factory outside Berlin, partly since the factory would supply jobs to individuals who weren’t German residents.
Musk’s earlier endorsements of AfD, including tweets complimenting the party and an editorial in a German newspaper, have enraged European government officials. Musk, the wealthiest person on the planet, has also endorsed far-right and anti-establishment candidates and causes within the U.K.
Political leaders in France, Germany, Norway and the U.K. denounced his influence, NBC News previously reported, warning that Musk shouldn’t involve himself of their countries’ elections.Â
Musk, who was one in every of President-elect Donald Trump’s top backers in November’s election, previously promoted Trump in a live-streamed discussion on X. Before that, he hosted a conversation with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who lost to Trump within the Republican primary.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
— CNBC’s Sophie Kiderlin contributed to this report.
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