Elon Musk with his hands in the air like he just doesn’t care.
Is Berlin scared of Elon Musk? Germany’s desperate bid to silence billionaire.
Credit Shutterstock, Frederic Legrand – COMEO
As 2025 starts and Germany braces for a critical general election on February 23, tech tycoon Elon Musk has blasted off into the heart of the campaign with a volley of attacks aimed squarely at the nation’s top politicians. Is the South African-born billionaire, 53, launching a new German “Space X-plosion” of support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)?
AfD blasts to second place in Germany
The far-right AfD stands at a surprising 20% in the polls, poised to give the ruling parties a nasty shock. Musk, known for rocketry, pregnancy robots, and riches galore, has been loudly cheering for the AfD from the sidelines. His endorsement has raised eyebrows (and tempers) in Berlin, where lawmakers fear a meddling multibillionaire might fire up extremist support with just a few 280-character tweets.
Musk’s latest verbal missile was aimed at President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. After Steinmeier warned against foreign influence in the election, Musk took to his social media platform X to declare: “Steinmeier is an anti-democratic tyrant! Shame on him.” While the president’s office coolly noted the message but refused to comment, many other politicians were less diplomatic, labelling Musk’s words “offensive,” “undignified,” and “crossing a line.”
This wasn’t Musk’s first Twitter tour de force. In November 2024, he branded Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “Narr” (“fool”) in German, after the government collapsed in spectacular style. He’s also penned an opinion piece in a German daily hailing the AfD – an act that critics see as direct interference in Germany’s democratic process. Rolf Mützenich, parliamentary group leader for Scholz’s Social Democrats, now wonders if Musk’s outspoken jibes come “in the name of the new US government” once Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20.
Free speech in Germany? Or defamation danger?
In Germany, you can say what you like – until it crosses over into insult or defamation territory. The country has strict defamation laws under the criminal code, and ‘crimes of honour’ (“Ehrdelikte”) can result in hefty fines or, in rare cases, jail time. Yet getting such a case off the ground is far from simple. The offended party must press charges, get a lawyer, and prove the damage. So far, neither Scholz nor Steinmeier has signalled any plans to go after Musk legally. But the system wouldn’t be clueless if they did: a judge would ultimately decide whether Musk’s tweets soared beyond the bounds of lawful free speech.
Curiously, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has shown more willingness to fight back in similar situations. After being labelled an ‘idiot’ (“Schwachkopf”) online, he authorised prosecutors to pursue an ‘insult’ case. Musk even called Habeck an idiot himself on X in November, but it’s unclear if he’ll face legal turbulence for that. If nothing else, it proves that local politicians are increasingly willing to protect themselves against what they see as digital mud-slinging.
No charges against Elon Musk in Germany yet
Despite the heated furore in the Bundestag, there’s no sign the offended are drawing up legal papers just yet. It could be that politicians fear stoking the fires by giving Musk more publicity – or perhaps they’re holding their breath for the outcome of the upcoming election. If AfD’s fortunes keep rising and Musk keeps tweeting, Germany might see a new chapter in its defamation drama sooner rather than later.
So, what’s next for Germany and Musk? Word on the grapevine is that Musk’s next act of AfD adoration will involve a live X-Space chat with AfD leader Alice Weidel. With the big vote around the corner, who knows what electoral earthquakes could follow?
Germany’s election campaign is clearly in full swing – but with Musk’s comments flying about faster than a speeding Tesla, one can’t help but wonder if Germany is on the road to a political car crash. Strap in, readers, because as the polls heat up, so does the man behind the X-scheme. Will Musk’s words be the spark that propels the AfD to victory, or will they backfire? Only time, and perhaps a court or two, will tell. Stay tuned -there’s a lot more to come in this rollercoaster ride of German politics.
Find more news from around Germany.
Read more news in English from around Europe.
