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Elon Musk insults German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

December 31, 2024

Tesla boss Elon Musk has added German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the list of politicians he has insulted in Europe. He also announced a plan to speak to the leader of the country's far-right AfD.

https://p.dw.com/p/4oiE8
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Steinmeier had spoken out against outside influence in his speech on the dissolution of the BundestagImage: Soeren Stache/dpa/picture alliance

Billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday extended his record of personal insults against European politicians with a new post taking a swipe at the country's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The comments from Musk, an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, referred to Steinmeier speaking out against outside influence in his speech on the dissolution of the Bundestag.

What has Musk said now?

His post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was a response to criticism of Steinmeier — who is Germany's head of state — by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)-affiliated influencer Naomi Seibt.

"Steinmeier is an anti-democratic tyrant!" Musk wrote in English. "Shame on him."

Steinmeier's office said that it had noted the post but would not comment on it.

After the break-up of Germany's three-way coalition government in November, Musk wrote about Chancellor Olaf Scholz in German: "Olaf ist ein Narr" (Olaf is a fool). In a previous post, Musk predicted that Scholz would lose the upcoming German election in February, misspelling his name.

Calls for EU to sanction Elon Musk for 'interference'

Musk's account on X, which he owns, has more than 200 million followers.

Plans for online Musk-Weidel meeting

The spokesman for the leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel, said concrete plans were underway for an online meeting between her and Musk.

That came after Musk himself suggested a meeting between the two via X's Spaces chat feature. "Wait until Alice and I do an X Spaces conversation. They will lose their minds," he posted. 

Germany's Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck on Tuesday hit out at Musk and his attempts to influence the German elections.

"Elon Musk is equipped with billions and unbridled communication power," Habeck wrote on X. "His call for the AfD is systematic: He wants to weaken Europe. Power must be limited: no business model must destroy our democracy. Europe must now use its power consistently."

Concerns are also growing in the UK as Musk takes an increasingly close interest in Britain's political scene, aligning himself with hard-right lawmaker Nigel Farage.

Musk has busied himself with taking aim at the UK's center-left Labour government, launching a series of blistering comments against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

rc/wd (AFP, dpa)