Germany, Elon Musk and Scholz
Billionaire Elon Musk, set to join U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration as an outside adviser, on Friday called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign in response to a deadly attack at a German Christmas market.
The tech billionaire who has already made a name in American politics offered his endorsement following a deadly German Christmas market attack.
Musk has been amplifying right-wing, anti-immigration voices on X for years and has already questioned criticism aimed at the AfD back in June. In September 2023, he denounced Germany for giving money to charities and rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said freedom of opinion "also applies to multi-billionaires," after Elon Musk said that only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) can 'save' the country.
Elon Musk was blasted by German and U.S. lawmakers for backing a German far-right political party on X, formerly Twitter on Thursday.
Germany’s intelligence agency has monitored the party, known as Alternative for Germany, for suspected extremism.
Germany's Olaf Scholz has dismissed an assertion by Elon Musk, who said that a far-right party can “save Germany'. Germany is set to vote in an early election in February next year following the collapse of Scholz's three-party governing coalition collapsed last month.
In the wake of the tragic attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, which resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has publicly called for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign.
Only the AfD can save Germany,” Elon Musk wrote, referencing the far-right anti-immigrant and anti-Islam party in Europe’s largest country.
After an assailant driving an S.U.V. killed five people, calls for solidarity have quickly given way to criticism by rival lawmakers, ahead of snap elections set for February.
The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is attracting the attention of Americans after Elon Musk backed it last week, amid its growing popularity in the European nation—Newsweek has looked at the odds of the party actually winning Germany's upcoming elections.