Labeling the AfD as far-right is clearly wrong when you consider that Alice Weidel, the party’s chairwoman, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? I beg to differ!

Fuck you. There were gay Nazis. There are gay neo Nazis today. Fascism cares about power more than any internal consistency. The moment those gay Nazis are no longer useful to their higher-ups, they'll be disposed of.

When will someone with more reach than I, a random internet commenter, start saying this shit to his face?!?! The people who are swayed by his bullshit rhetoric are not coming here to read our takedowns, and I can't tell if I can expect them to read the counter- and response op-eds...

This would be a great moment to totally and completely ban foreign billionaires from meddling in european elections.

Twitter® - By Nazis, For Nazis

Elon Musk is a Nazi, this isn't a surprise.

prompting the commentary editor to resign

Lmao what

Go Elon! Pleasure those 3 invisible giants with your mouth and hands!

Article with what he said: https://archive.md/UIJFS

Translated by https://chat.mistral.ai/chat/ because Deepl caps at 5000 characters

I don't think Musk speaks German so I assume this has been translated from American to German and now back to American

Also includes a response from Jan Philipp Burgard who is the editor-in-chief of the WELT TV station

Only the Alternative for Germany (AfD) can fundamentally reform the country, believes US entrepreneur Elon Musk. Completely wrong, responds Jan Philipp Burgard. The AfD is partly xenophobic and anti-Semitic. Therefore, it is a danger to Germany.

Shortly before Christmas, a post by Elon Musk on his platform X caused controversy. According to him, only the AfD can prevent Germany's decline. In a text that the entrepreneur Musk provided to WELT AM SONNTAG, he tried to justify this statement. It is a text that invites contradiction. Jan Philipp Burgard takes on this response.

This is what Elon Musk writes:

Germany is at a critical point – its future is teetering on the brink of economic and cultural collapse. As someone who has made significant investments in Germany's industrial and technological landscape, I believe I have the right to speak openly about its political direction. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country. Here are the reasons.

Economic Revival: Germany's economy, once the engine of Europe, is now sinking under bureaucracy and crushing regulations. The AfD understands that economic freedom is not just desirable, but necessary. Their approach to reducing state over-regulation, lowering taxes, and deregulating the market reflects the principles that have made Tesla and SpaceX successful. If Germany wants to regain its industrial strength, it needs a party that not only talks about growth but also takes political action to create an environment where businesses can thrive without strong state intervention.

Immigration and National Identity: Germany has opened its borders to a very large number of migrants. Although this was done with humanitarian intent, it has led to significant cultural and social tensions. The AfD advocates for a controlled immigration policy that prioritizes integration and the preservation of German culture and security. This is not about xenophobia, but about ensuring that Germany does not lose its identity in the pursuit of globalization. A nation must preserve its fundamental values and cultural heritage to remain strong and united.

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Energy and Independence: The energy policy pursued by the current coalition is not only economically costly but also geopolitically naive. Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power and instead rely heavily on coal and imported gas, as well as on unreliable wind and solar power without the necessary battery storage for grid stability, has made the country vulnerable, especially with regard to power outages.

The AfD takes a pragmatic approach to energy issues and advocates for a balanced approach. I hope they consider expanding safe nuclear power combined with battery storage to mitigate large fluctuations in power consumption, as this is the obvious solution.

Political Realism: The traditional parties in Germany have failed. Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and an erosion of national identity. The AfD, even if labeled as far-right, represents a political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel their concerns are ignored by the establishment. They address current problems – without the political correctness that often obscures the truth. Labeling the AfD as far-right is clearly wrong when you consider that Alice Weidel, the party's chairwoman, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? I beg to differ!

Innovation and Future: I have built companies on the principle that innovation requires liberation from unnecessary constraints. The AfD's vision aligns with this ethos. They advocate for educational reforms that promote critical thinking instead of indoctrination and support the technology sectors that represent the future of global economic leadership.

To those who condemn the AfD as extremist, I say: Do not be swayed by the label attached to them. Look at their policies, economic plans, and efforts to preserve culture. Germany needs a party that is not afraid to challenge the status quo, that is not stuck in the politics of the past.

The AfD can prevent Germany from becoming a shadow of its former self. It can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity, and technological innovation are not just aspirations but realities. Germany has become too comfortable in mediocrity – it is time for bold changes, and the AfD is the only party opening this path.

This is what Jan Philipp Burgard writes: Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneurial genius of our time. With his innovations, he has revolutionized the payment, automotive, and space industries. The prerequisite for his spectacular successes has always been a radical analysis of the status quo. With regard to Germany, Musk is right when he sees our country in economic and cultural crisis. The failed migration, energy, and social policies of the Merkel era and the traffic light coalition have put our prosperity at risk.

Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong. Let's start with the revival of the German economy. Demands such as reducing bureaucracy, deregulation, and tax cuts are not wrong just because they come from the AfD. But Musk seems to overlook the geopolitical framework in which the AfD wants to position Germany. The AfD considers Germany's withdrawal from the European Union "necessary" according to its election program. For the export nation Germany, this would be a disaster. More than half of all German exports go to the European internal market.

With welfare gains of around 83 billion euros per year, Germany benefits from the internal market like no other state. According to a survey by the Institute of the German Economy (IW), 60 percent of companies view the AfD's course as a risk. The director of the IW, Michael Hüther, even describes the AfD as "poison for our economy."

Not only does the AfD question the European Union as a guarantor of Germany's economic stability, but also the relationship with our most important transatlantic partner in trade and security policy. "The geopolitical and economic interests of the USA are increasingly diverging from those of Germany and other European states," the AfD's election program literally states.

But the numbers tell a different story. In 2023, nearly ten percent of German exports went to the USA, the highest value in more than 20 years. Isn't it in Germany's interest that the USA remains the most important buyer of German exports? Conversely, the USA is one of the three most important import countries for Germany. Doesn't Elon Musk want many Teslas to continue rolling on Germany's highways in the future?

Instead of relying on the Westbindung, which has been beneficial for Germany's prosperity and security since Konrad Adenauer, the AfD seeks rapprochement with Russia. A condemnation of the war of aggression against Ukraine is nowhere to be found in the election program; instead, the "restoration of uninterrupted trade with Russia" is demanded, which includes the "immediate lifting of economic sanctions against Russia and the restoration of the Nord Stream pipelines." But a return to dependence on Putin's gas will not save Germany – on the contrary, it would once again jeopardize Germany's energy security.

The AfD also has kinder words for China than for the USA: "The relationship with the People's Republic of China must be oriented towards Germany's realpolitik interests." This means appeasement towards Beijing. Donald Trump, who has identified China as the greatest systemic rival of the USA, is unlikely to be enthusiastic about this kind of "Germany rescue."

In migration policy, Musk sees the solution in the AfD. Indeed, Germany is struggling with out-of-control immigration. But the AfD is floundering with unrealistic remigration plans for millions of people. In contrast, the CDU under Friedrich Merz has woken up and wants to move away from Merkel's uncontrolled do-gooder policy. For this, it has significantly tightened its stance, demanding rejections at the borders and faster deportations of rejected asylum seekers. Such measures show that there are alternatives to the far-right positions of the AfD.

If Musk considers the classification of the AfD as far-right to be "clearly wrong," he is making a grave mistake. The AfD is not just Alice Weidel, but also Björn Höcke. The latter can be legally referred to as far-right. Höcke has also been convicted multiple times for using a banned Nazi slogan. "Everything for Germany!" – sounds like Hitler! The AfD, with its Höcke wing, its appeasement towards Russia and China, and its rejection of America and the EU, is by no means "the last spark of hope for this country," as Elon Musk writes. It is a danger to our values and our economy. Even a genius can be wrong.

This could be "cope" on my part, but I feel like Elmo is spreading his initiatives a bit too thin and is failing to capitalize on the benefits of subtlety and backroom dealing.

American-style pomp and bombast are good and all, but they need to serve an end purpose (e.g. manipulation, corruption, "personal brand development"). It's one thing to tell the plebs your shit doesn't smell, it's a whole different thing to actually believe it.