He first endorsed the AfD in a post on X, the social media platform he owns, last December. It was followed by a livestreamed chat with party leader Alice Weidel and a virtual appearance at a party conference.
Musk also used X to berate mainstream German politicians, calling center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool,” while touting the AfD as the only force that can “save” the country.
When asked whether any government response post election could affect Tesla’s gigafactory near Berlin, Merz said: “I am deliberately leaving the consequences open for now.”
The authorities also needed to look into whether Musk’s support for the AfD qualified as an illegal party donation, Merz said, something transparency organizations had previously hinted at.
Musk, who is among U.S. President Donald Trump’s most powerful advisers, has a history of supporting European populist-right politicians, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Based on POLITICO’s Poll of Polls, Merz’s conservatives are in pole position to lead the next government, with around 29 percent support. The AfD is positioned to finish in a strong second place with around 21 percent. Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens are in third and fourth place with 16 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
As all mainstream parties have ruled out governing with the AfD, Merz is most likely to form a coalition with either the SPD or the Greens.
