Alice Weidel, co-chair of the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), arrives to speak to the media with AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla shortly after the AfD leadership confirmed Weidel as the party's candidate for chancellor on December 7. 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Maryam Will | Getty Images
Elon Musk used its social media site X to promote the far-right Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD, by hosting a live discussion on Thursday with party leader Alice Weidel, a candidate for chancellor, ahead of the February 23 general election.
“I really highly recommend that people vote for AfD” – Musk, CEO Tesla and SpaceX, in addition to its role in X, said after about half an hour of conversation. “That's my strong recommendation.”
The AfD has been designated a “suspected extremist organization” by Germany's national intelligence services. The party's platform calls for tough asylum rules, mass deportations, cuts to social assistance in Germany and a reversal of restrictions on combustion engine vehicles.
Thierry Breton, former European Union Commissioner for the Internal Market, said in a speech on January 4: write to X addressed to Weidel: “As a European citizen concerned about the proper use of the systemic platforms authorized to operate in the EU… especially to protect our democratic principles against illegal or inappropriate behavior during elections, I consider it important to remind you” that the live discussion on Topic X would give the AfD and Weidel “a significant and valuable competitive advantage.”
Although the AfD has garnered around 20% of public support, according to reports by broadcaster DW, the party is unlikely to be part of a coalition government because most of the other parties have promised not to cooperate with it.
AfD he protested earlier expansion of Tesla's electric vehicle factory near Berlin, in part because the plant would provide jobs for non-German citizens.
Musk's past support for the AfD, including tweets complimenting the party and an editorial in a German newspaper, infuriated European government officials. Musk, the richest man in the world, has also supported far-right and anti-establishment candidates and initiatives in the UK
Political leaders in France, Germany, Norway and the UK condemned his influence, as NBC News previously reported, warning that Musk should not get involved in elections in his home countries.
Musk, who was one of the presidents-elect Donald Trump main supporters of the November elections, previously promoted Trump in a discussion broadcast live on X. Earlier, he hosted a conversation with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who lost to Trump in the Republican Party primaries.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
—CNBC Zofia Kiderlin contributed to this report.
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