With eight weeks left before the German election, Musk, the world's richest man, a close adviser to US President-elect Trump, and Tesla CEO, has become the target of bombardment by the German government. On Monday local time, Christiane Hoffmann, the German government's deputy spokesperson, publicly stated at a press conference: "Elon Musk is indeed trying to influence the federal election." The spokesperson also called Musk's remarks "the most ridiculous nonsense."

Openly provoking "the next German government"?

This dispute probably started two weeks ago, when Musk declared on the social media platform he bought that "only the Alternative for Germany (AfD) can save Germany."

The world's richest man probably feels that there is no use in shouting to a bunch of Americans who "don't know what the AfD is." Last weekend, he published a German column in the local German media "Welt am Sonntag" and praised the AfD as "Germany's last spark of hope" and can lead Germany to a future of economic prosperity, cultural integrity, and technological innovation.

Musk also said he has the right to express his opinion on Europe's largest economy because of his "significant investment" in Germany.

The newspaper's decision to publish Musk's column also caused the editor of the "Sunday World" opinion column to publicly announce his resignation in protest.


(Source: X)

Published together with Musk's opinion article, there is also a critical article written by Jan Philipp Burgard, who will take over as the editor-in-chief of the "Le Monde" group on January 1. "Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his treatment, that only the AfD can save Germany, is a fatal mistake," Burgard said.

From a more realistic perspective, Musk's move is unlikely to bring him short-term benefits. Since all German political parties are unwilling to form an alliance with the AfD, in this election and in the foreseeable future, "the AfD will become the ruling party in Germany" is still just an illusory hypothesis.

However, it is undeniable that due to the continued sluggishness of the German economy, the support rate of the Alternative Party is on the rise. In this month's poll, the Alternative for Africa's support rate was around 20%, second only to the CDU's 31%.

Therefore, Musk's flag-raising also puts him in the verbal and verbal criticism of the potential "next German government leadership team".

Friedrich Merz, the CDU's chancellor candidate, blasted Musk's opinion piece as "election interference and self-righteousness."

Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the Social Democratic Party, also said that Musk wants to influence the German election and deliberately support the Alternative for Germany to weaken it and plunge it into chaos. Since the CDU is unlikely to get a majority of the vote alone, the SPD is likely to join the next German coalition government.

German media boss looms

According to the excavations of the German media, Musk is campaigning for the Alternative for Germany, and the driving force behind it is a German—Matthias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, which owns Le Monde.


(File photo of Matthias Dopner)

According to Der Spiegel, Dovfner asked Musk to write the social media post before Christmas, which led to the op-ed.

This move also continues to challenge the taboos in the German media circle - in post-war Germany, most media not only cannot openly support the far right, but also do not provide far-right politicians with a voice. But as the Alternative for Germany has become the country's second-largest party, the taboo is coming under intense pressure. This fall, Le Monde invited Weidel, the co-leader of the Alternative for Germany party, and the more controversial state leader Hawke to participate in the autumn broadcast debate.

Axel Springer is one of Europe's top publishers, and its media companies include Le Monde, Bild, Politico, Business Insider and other media.

Dopfner and Musk have also known each other for many years. When Musk hesitated to buy Twitter in 2022, Dopfner tried to persuade him to move forward with the acquisition, and also offered to let Axel Springer manage the social media platform.