Elon Musk Endorses Neo-Nazi Party Alternative for Germany
The world’s richest man is pushing for German extremism and far-right politics

Elon has been a tear of inappropriate behavior to wrap up this year. From scuttling a bipartisan piece of legislation through an arrogant pressure campaign, to suggesting that the U.S. government is funding biological weapons labs, Mr. Musk has shown a deep, consistent willingness to misinform his massive audience.1 Now, the infamous oligarch has gone a step further, promoting the far-right, Neo-Nazi party, Alternative for Germany (AFD). 2 3 It is yet another example of his oligarchic, far-right agenda.
What Did Musk Say?
Last Friday, in reaction to a post by far-right influencer Naomi Seibt, who was lambasting several critics of Musk and Milei, Musk posted “Only the AFD can save Germany.” 4 It is worth noting that Seibt is a climate change denier and far-right activist. She has previously spoken at an event with AFD politician and has support from far-right American think tanks.5
The endorsement of the far-right party is another example of Musk’s increasingly far-right momentum and support. By reposting and supporting content from an astroturfed right-wing influencer, Musk is not only using the platform he owns to spread his influence, but also set the pace of politics around the world. With such moves, Musk’s growing influence is extremely concerning, even more so with his recent endorsement of the AFD.
What is the AFD?
The Alternative for Germany, more commonly known as the AFD, is a far-right political party in Germany. It was founded in 2013 in reaction to the Eurozone crisis.6 Since then, it has moved further to the right on issues of immigration and the rights of Muslims in Germany. More importantly, it has shifted its stance on issues surrounding the memory of the Nazi regime.
On several occasions, members of the AFD have taken heat for its use of Nazi slogans or making comments downplaying the severity of the Nazi regime. In one instance, AFD politician Björn Höcke, was convicted of using a Nazi slogan.7 This was not the first time Mr. Höcke has run into trouble for his rhetoric surrounding the Nazis and their slogans. In May of this year, Höcke was fined 13,000 euros or roughly $14,000 for using the phrase “Everything for Germany.” The phrase is particularly concerning in Germany, as it was part of the official phrase of the SA, Hitler’s Stormtroopers.8 9
Höcke has also made disparaging comments about Holocaust memorials. In another instance, Höcke referred to the Holocaust memorial in Berlin “a monument of shame,” and argued that Germany should alter how it evaluates its relationship with its Nazi past.10 It is worth noting that Höcke is not some unusual figure within the party. He is one of its core founders and once led the party nationally, and continues to support the party chapter in Thuringia, one of its strongest outposts in Germany.11 12
Even when Höcke isn’t in the picture, it is clear that the AFD is unusually right-wing, even when compared to other right-wing parties in Europe. In May of this year, France’s own far-right party, National Rally (RN), announced it was distancing itself from the AFD due to comments made by one of its members about the SS. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the AFD’s lead candidate in the EU elections, Maximilian Krah, told the paper that being a member of the SS didn’t make automatically “a criminal.”13 The SS committed some of the worst atrocities under Hitler and any such argument about supposedly noncriminal elements of said organization are baseless.
Despite all of this, Musk seemingly has no idea, or he is unwilling to concede, that the core of the AFD is rotten. In response to a CNN interview with Senator Chris Murphy (D-NY), Musk claimed that the AFD’s policies were “…identical to those of the US Democratic Party when Obama took office! I don’t think there is a single difference.”14
That is strange since I don’t remember former President Obama lambasting Holocaust memorials, like Höcke did. Nor is the Democratic Party listed as a “suspected extremist party,” like the AFD is by the German government. 15 Whether or not Elon and his ilk like it, the fact remains that the AFD is an extremist, Neo-Nazi organization whose leaders and founders have engaged in overly bigoted politics and Nazi propaganda. Elon is betraying his politics through his endorsement of the AFD. Sadly, none of this is surprising.
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Conor Kelly, “Oligarch in Chief: Elon Musk Scuttles Spending Bill,” The Progressive American (blog), December 20, 2024, https://theprogressiveamerican.com/2024/12/19/oligarch-in-chief-elon-musk-scuttles-spending-bill/.
Alex Nguyen, “Elon Musk Applauds the German Neo-Nazi Party,” Mother Jones (blog), accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/12/elon-musk-applauds-the-german-neo-nazi-party/.
Marco Margaritoff, “Elon Musk Is Getting Torched For Equating Far-Right German Party To Obama’s,” HuffPost, December 21, 2024, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elon-musk-afd-obama_n_6766f87ee4b08c77e531db7d.
Elon Musk [@elonmusk], “Only the AfD Can Save Germany,” Tweet, Twitter, December 20, 2024, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1869986946031988780.
Desmond Butler et al., “The Anti-Greta: A Conservative Think Tank Takes on the Global Phenomenon,” Washington Post, February 24, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/02/23/meet-anti-greta-young-youtuber-campaigning-against-climate-alarmism/.
Holly Ellyatt, “Germany’s Far-Right AfD Party: 5 Things You Need to Know,” CNBC, September 25, 2017, sec. Germany Votes 2017, https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/25/germany-far-right-afd-party-5-things-you-need-to-know.html.
“German Court Convicts a Prominent Far-Right Politician for Using a Nazi Slogan Again | AP News,” The Associated Press, accessed December 22, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-politician-conviction-nazi-slogan-ccda2b9beef36efd124c2ae610681bf8.
“German Court Convicts a Prominent Far-Right Politician for Using a Nazi Slogan Again | AP News,” The Associated Press, July 1, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-politician-conviction-nazi-slogan-ccda2b9beef36efd124c2ae610681bf8.
“German Court Fines Prominent Far-Right Politician for Knowingly Using a Nazi Slogan in a Speech,” AP News, May 14, 2024, sec. World News, https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-afd-hoecke-trial-verdict-c8dd41357560b6e786c7f3fdaf2b0588.
“Prominent German Nationalist Spared Expulsion from Party,” AP News, May 9, 2018, https://apnews.com/general-news-daa88bb1c2a84a09861d40667798ec5c.
Martin Debes, “Die Tausend Jahre Des Björn Höcke,” October 20, 2015, https://www.otz.de/politik/article221273527/Die-tausend-Jahre-des-Bjoern-Hoecke.html.
“Thüringer AfD: Warum Stuft Der Verfassungsschutz Den Landesverband Als Rechtsextrem Ein? | MDR.DE,” accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/thueringen/afd-rechtsextremistisch-einstufung-verfassungsschutz-100.html.
“French Far-Right National Rally Splits with Germany’s AfD – DW – 05/22/2024,” Dw.Com, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.dw.com/en/french-far-right-national-rally-splits-with-germanys-afd/a-69144718.
Elon Musk [@elonmusk], “What a Huge Liar. The AfD Policies Are Identical to Those of the US Democratic Party When Obama Took Office! I Don’t Think There Is a Single Difference.,” Tweet, Twitter, December 20, 2024, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1870198951531688200.
“Germany to Spy on Far-Right AfD Party, Reports Say,” March 3, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56250460.