**”Seems Unaware of AfD Policies”… Bundestag to Investigate Illegal Donations**
(Berlin = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Gye-yeon – Elon Musk, CEO of U.S. electric car company Tesla, has engaged in a conversation with the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), lending his support just over a month before the German general election.
On the 9th (local time), Musk participated in a 75-minute live-streamed conversation on X (formerly Twitter) with Alice Weidel, AfD co-leader, where he strongly recommended voting for the AfD, stating, “I think Weidel is a very rational person. She wouldn’t propose anything absurd.”
Musk criticized German bureaucracy, mentioning how 25,000 documents had to be printed when building a Tesla factory in Germany and reiterated his claim that “only the AfD can save Germany.” He had previously sparked political interference controversy by expressing his support for the AfD, calling it “the last hope spark of this country” in a piece for a German weekly magazine on October 28.
Weidel defended controversial socio-political claims, labeling Adolf Hitler not as a conservative but as a socialist and communist based on Nazi nationalization policies of industrial facilities. German media have refuted these claims as representative of New Right historical revisionism. Furthermore, Weidel claimed, “Angela Merkel’s government opened borders to illegal immigrants in 2015,” causing “crime rates in Germany to rise explosively.”
Musk touched on topics like Germany’s nuclear phase-out policy, Mars exploration, and the existence of God but generally appeared to echo Weidel’s views. Janette Hofmann of the Berlin Social Science Center commented to ARD broadcasting that there seemed to be little actual discussion, noting that Musk appeared unfamiliar with the specifics of AfD policies.
In Germany, there is ongoing criticism that Musk supports AfD without understanding its true nature, especially since the AfD, known for its nationalist stance and pro-fossil fuel views, has been one of the strongest opponents of Tesla’s factory in Brandenburg. The AfD in Brandenburg previously condemned Musk, suggesting he aimed to implant chips in people’s brains after producing electric cars.
The AfD, along with leftist parties, also voted against Tesla’s factory expansion plans in the regional assembly. As a result, Handelsblatt reported that Andre Thierich, head of Tesla’s German factory, urged employees not to vote for AfD during the Brandenburg state elections last September.
As the controversy over Musk’s political involvement continues, there has been an increase in the number of people leaving X, Musk’s platform. Over 60 universities, research institutions including the University of Potsdam, and public unions like Ver.di and GEW have recently closed their X accounts.
The Bundestag’s office announced it would investigate whether Musk and Weidel’s conversation constituted an illegal donation in violation of party laws. Approximately 200,000 users accessed the streamed conversation.