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Elon Musk promotes far-right Alternative for Germany candidate, hosts discussion on X

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of SpaceX and Tesla and Co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel.
David Swanson | Reuters | Kay Nietfeld | AFP | Getty Images
  • Elon Musk used his social network X to promote Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD, on Thursday, hosting a live discussion with the party's leader and chancellor candidate Alice Weidel.
  • AfD has been classified as a "suspected extremist organization" by German domestic intelligence services.

Elon Musk used his social network X to promote Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD, hosting a live discussion Thursday with party leader Alice Weidel, a candidate for chancellor, ahead of a general election on Feb. 23.

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"I'm really strongly recommending that people vote for AfD," Musk, who is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX in addition to his role at X, said about a half hour into the conversation. "That's my strong recommendation."

The AfD has been classified as a "suspected extremist organization" by German domestic intelligence services. The party's platform calls for rigid asylum laws, mass deportations, cuts to social and welfare support in Germany, and the reversal of restrictions on combustion engine vehicles.

Thierry Breton, former European Union commissioner for the internal market, said in a Jan. 4 post on X directed at Weidel: "As a European citizen concerned with the proper use of systemic platforms authorized to operate in the EU ... especially to protect our democratic rules against illegal or misbehavior during election times, I believe it's crucial to remind you" that a live discussion on X would give AfD and Weidel "a significant and valuable advantage over your competitors."

While AfD has amassed about 20% of public support, according to reporting from German broadcaster DW, the party is unlikely to form part of a coalition government, as most other parties have vowed not to work with it.

AfD previously protested the build-out of Tesla's electric vehicle factory outside Berlin, in part because the factory would provide jobs to people who were not German citizens.

Musk's earlier endorsements of AfD, including tweets complimenting the party and an editorial in a German newspaper, have enraged European government officials. Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, has also endorsed far-right and anti-establishment candidates and causes in the U.K.

Political leaders including in France, Germany, Norway, Spain and the U.K. denounced his influence, NBC News previously reported, warning that Musk should not involve himself in their countries' elections. 

Musk, who was one of President-elect Donald Trump's top backers in November's election, previously promoted Trump in a live-streamed discussion on X. Before that, he hosted a conversation with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who lost to Trump in the Republican primary.

During Thursday's conversation, Weidel asked Musk about what Trump might do to bring Russia's war in Ukraine to a conclusion, as the president-elect has suggested he could quickly do.

"To be clear this is up to President Trump, he is commander and chief, so it's really up to him," Musk said. "I don't want to speak for him but you know I do think that there is a path to a resolution but it does require  strong leadership in the United States to get this done."

Musk also weighed in on what he thought should be done in Gaza, which has been under attack from Israel since Hamas' deadly incursion into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

"There's no choice but to eliminate those who wish to eliminate the state of Israel, you know Hamas essentially," Musk said. "Then, the second step is to fix the education so that Palestinians are not trained from when they are children to hate and want the death of Israel."

"Then, the third thing, which is also very important, is to make the Palestinian areas prosperous."

During the wide-ranging discussion, which was riddled with disinformation, Musk asked Weidel to address German voters' concern that her party is far right.

As Frontline previously reported, some AfD leaders followers of the party have sought to downplay or deny the horrors of Nazi Germany. The party still campaigns on anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes ethno-nationalist views.

In Weidel's response to Musk's question about how the AfD is viewed by others, she characterized Adolf Hitler as a "communist," who was the "opposite" of right wing, libertarian or conservative. Musk agreed.

— CNBC's Sophie Kiderlin contributed to this report.

WATCH: Musk's EU interference is not going to help Trump

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