‘Don’t feed the troll’ - German chancellor responds after Elon Musk endorses far-right party

5 January 2025, 18:08 | Updated: 6 January 2025, 07:18

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has hit back at Elon Musk after the billionaire endorsed far-right political party Alternative for Germany and personally insulted Scholz, in yet another attempt to influence overseas politics.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reacted to Elon Musk’s recent involvement in Germany's general election, saying he is worried about his endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Mr Scholz said he is staying "cool" in the face of critical personal comments made by Elon Musk, who called the chancellor a “fool” after his coalition government collapsed in November.

The Chancellor, head of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), said there is "nothing new" in criticism by "rich media entrepreneurs who do not appreciate social democratic politics and do not hold back with their opinions".

"You have to stay cool," Mr Scholz told German magazine Stern in an interview on Saturday.

"I find it much more worrying than such insults that Musk is supporting a party like the AfD, which is in part right-wing extremist, which preaches rapprochement with Putin's Russia and wants to weaken transatlantic relations," Mr Scholz added.

“I don’t believe in courting Mr Musk’s favour. I’m happy to leave that to others,” he said. “The rule is: don’t feed the troll.”

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Musk, a key part of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle, backed the AfD in an opinion piece he wrote for a major newspaper in Germany, causing the newspaper’s opinion editor to resign.

"The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country," Mr Musk wrote in his translated commentary.

The AfD is monitored by Germany's domestic intelligence service on suspicion of right-wing extremism and has already been recognised as these terms in some individual German states.

The Tesla Motors chief executive also wrote that his investment in Germany gave him the right to comment on the country's condition.

The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming Chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party.

Germany will hold early parliamentary elections on February 23 after Mr Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed in a dispute over how to revitalise the country's stagnant economy.

In recent months, Musk has also tried to interfere in British politics, attacking Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and saying Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips "deserves to be in prison" for over her response to grooming gangs in the UK.

At the same time, he has voiced his support for Reform UK, and is considering donating around £100 million to Mr Farage’s party, though their relationship has recently become strained.

On Sunday, The X billionaire called for Reform to find a new leader in a post on his social media platform.

It comes after Farage rejected Musk's calls for Reform UK to join forces with Tommy Robinson.

Farage distanced himself from Elon Musk’s stance on jailed far-right figure Tommy Robinson after the tech billionaire called for him to be released from prison.

"The Reform Party needs a new leader," Musk said in a shock X post.

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Responding to Musk’s Tweet, Farage said "Well, this is a surprise!"

"Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree," the Reform leader continued."My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.

Until now, it seemed Musk and Farage had a strong relationship, with the Reform boss even visiting the billionaire in the United States.

The Reform UK leader said at a conference in Leicester on Friday that Musk had "a whole range of opinions, some of which I agree with very strongly, and others of which I am more reticent about".

Mr Farage may have been keen to put a driving wedge between himself and Robinson, but he still expressed his admiration for Musk, calling him a "remarkable new entrant" into American politics who is "very helpful" for Reform.

Mr Farage said that the X CEO is a "hero" for buying the social media platform, adding that "at least with Elon, we've got free speech back."

"Whether we like everything he says or not, he is a hero," Mr Farage added.

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He continued: "Everyone says, well, what about his comments on Tommy Robinson? Look, my position is perfectly clear on that. I never wanted Tommy Robinson to join UKIP, I don't want him to join Reform UK, and he won't be."

Musk’s controversial post about Tommy Robinson and his indication he will donate to Reform are not his only interventions in British politics that have sparked backlash in recent weeks.

The world’s richest man posted several times about grooming gangs in Rochdale and Oldham, attacking prime minister Keir Starmer and the Labour MP and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips over their responses to the scandal.

The US billionaire wrote in one post that Ms Phillips even "deserves to be in prison" over her failure to launch an inquiry, arguing that "rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice".