German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lashed out at tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on Tuesday, condemning his support for Germany’s anti-globalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and calling his political influence “disgusting.”
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has increasingly voiced concerns about the direction of German politics. Over the weekend, he joined AfD’s campaign launch event via video link, criticizing Germany’s political establishment for being trapped in the past. He told supporters there was “frankly too much of a focus on past guilt” and that Germany needed to “move beyond” it—a sentiment shared by many who feel weighed down by the current political narrative.
Scholz, clearly rattled by Musk’s remarks, didn’t hold back. “I disagree completely with Elon Musk and what he is doing,” he fumed to reporters at a campaign stop in Berlin.
Taking his criticism further, Scholz accused Musk of failing to conform to the establishment’s views on historical responsibility. “I’m so angry about Elon Musk intervening for the anti-globalists and Elon Musk also not acting adequately to this killing of so many Jews… this is the historic responsibility we will continue to take in the future as well,” he insisted, seemingly suggesting that any deviation from the mainstream position was unacceptable.
Musk’s remarks came just a day before Germany marked the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, a moment the political class often uses to reinforce its ideological stance.
Scholz went on to compare Musk’s involvement in politics to that of media moguls from the past but argued that Musk’s approach was uniquely dangerous. While powerful media figures have long shaped public discourse, Scholz took issue with Musk using his influence to amplify anti-globalist voices across Europe.
“And this is really disgusting, and it is not good for the democratic development in all (of) the European Union,” Scholz declared, exposing his deep discomfort with political opposition outside the mainstream.
His attack on Musk was a notable escalation. Earlier this month, Scholz had warned about the supposed dangers of political figures challenging the status quo but had stopped short of naming Musk directly. This time, however, he made it clear: independent voices who challenge globalist policies will not be tolerated.
