Alice in Muskland. Will Trump's ally help triumph of far right in Germany?

On Thursday, January 9, Donald Trump’s ally had a conversation with the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel, on the X platform. Should we expect the collapse of Germany and the rise of Hitler’s followers?

The conversation with the AfD leader was preceded by a much-discussed column in Die Welt, where Musk described the radical right as the country’s last hope. He also referred to timid Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is blocking $2 billion in aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to avoid scaring the "peaceful" SPD voters, as an “oaf” on the social network X.

In the much-debated essay, Musk offered his interpretation of why Alice Weidel is not Hitler. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party's leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” stated the billionaire, whose assets are valued at $400 billion.

So, who is this Alice Weidel? Especially considering that the AfD has every chance to secure third, or even second, place in early elections to the Bundestag. And let’s be honest — given that at least a million Ukrainians now permanently reside in Germany, the far-right’s policies will directly affect them too.

Alice’s grandfather, like the ancestors of many top politicians in modern Germany, was a member of the National Socialist Workers' Party and the SS, serving as a military judge in Warsaw during World War II. When confronted with this fact, she claims not only to have been unaware of her grandfather’s career but also to have had little contact with him as a child.

By education, Alice is an economist with an impressive portfolio, including work with giants like Goldman Sachs and the Bank of China.

Therefore, during a livestream on platform X to his 208 million followers, Elon Musk promoted the AfD leader as someone knowledgeable about business and modern German issues.

In their discussion, Weidel asked the American billionaire if he understood the complexity of doing business in Germany, to which Musk recounted how he had to file a 25,000-page application to register his businesses.

This was likely a subtle play not only for German voters ahead of February 23 but also to provoke political veterans from the SPD and CDU-CSU, whose mistakes and populism gave rise to AfD in 2013.

Musk and Alice Weidel harshly criticized Germany's “leftist” education system. Many Ukrainians have already seen its reality — especially when most students in a classroom are from third countries, uninterested in learning the German language or culture.

“We have this insane, wokeish, socialist, leftist agenda in our educational system. So, the young people, they don't learn anything in school, university. They just learn about gender studies,” Weidel declared emotionally.

To this, Musk replied, “It sounds like the woke mind virus has infected Germany quite badly.”

Sociological data shows that Germans are increasingly concerned about chaos and their government prioritizing outsiders over its own people. Education in schools is deteriorating because it has become a victim of cultural diversity and excessive tolerance.

Interestingly, American media did not criticize Alice Weidel for such remarks. Although she is far-right, her party is predominantly composed of conservative family men. Meanwhile, Alice Weidel has been in a partnership for over 15 years with a Swiss citizen born in Sri Lanka.

Unsurprisingly, the two also touched on the topic of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Musk and Weidel predictably praised Donald Trump, claiming that only he can bring peace to our lands.

“This is also my hope in Donald Trump, and in you (Musk - ed.), in your Administration, that you end that terrible war, this worthless, worthless dying of young people every day, like as fast as you can, because the Europeans, they cannot,” Weidel said, adding that Europe is too dependent on the U.S.

Elon Musk, for his part, expressed hope that the war would end quickly. “It's now been in somewhat of a stalemate for a few years, and all that's happened over the past few years is hundreds of thousands of people dying, but for no gains. Yeah, and the longer this conflict goes on, the more Ukraine weakens relative to Russia. I mean, Ukraine is a smaller country; it simply cannot afford the losses relative to Russia. Russia has, you know, it's just — this, the longer this drags on, the worse it is for Ukraine. And then you've got all these poor men dying for nothing. Why? So, I hope this terrible conflict can be resolved quickly, and I think it will be under President Trump,” Musk said.

According to new polls, Musk’s direct support for Weidel added two percentage points to the AfD’s rating. Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz’s party has dropped to fourth place following the “oaf” comment.

All of this demonstrates how the electoral landscape is shifting under the influence of social media and how a famous figure can sway voters’ sentiments. Those who want to shape the future should start their own podcast now because podcasters are running the world.

Read also: Musk-Weidel interview: Rallying point for far-right supporters and pro-Kremlin messaging

How should Ukrainians react to the fact that the AfD will have a significant and influential faction in the Bundestag? It’s necessary to overcome the prejudice that they are merely “Russophiles” and “Putin’s agents” and look for what we can offer them.

The AfD’s program, if read carefully, indeed induces fear. It includes calls to return to traditional energy sources and a desire for business relations with Putin.

However, there is no stability in the world, and the far-right, once in power, will be forced to adjust their perspective under the pressure of Germany’s real problems.

Why has Musk decided to sing praises to Weidel and the AfD? Clearly, the new U.S. administration intends to exert greater influence on German politics. While the SPD licks its wounds in opposition, it will be a time for new heroes.

The threat of a sharp rightward shift should force Germany’s top parties to do their homework and realize that the time has come for decisive actions, not reliance on populism and freeloaders who will vote for your party just because of a stable €500.

Exclusively for Espreso

About the author: Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.

The editorial board doesn't always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.