ECONOMYNEXT – Donald Trump supporter Elon Musk has stirred up a controversy over his remarks about the partner of Alice Weidel, a top leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been promoting nationalism.
Musk in an op-ed published in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper said that AfD is not as extreme as claimed by critics as its co-chair had a same sex partner.
Nationalists are usually against the gay community, as was Hitler’s Nazi party.
“The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk wrote in the op-ed, according to the German broadcaster Deutshe Welle.
Wiedel is said to have a same-sex partner in Switzeraland who is a migrant from Sri Lanka.
The Welt’s opinion editor had resigned shortly after the publication, the report said.
Weidel herself retweeted Musk’s piece, adding a comment including a nationalist comment on immigration.
“The traditional parties have failed in Germany. Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest and an erosion of national identity.
.@elonmusk: „Die traditionellen Parteien haben in Deutschland versagt. Ihre Politik hat zu wirtschaftlicher Stagnation, sozialen Unruhen und einer Aushöhlung der nationalen Identität geführt. Die #AfD vertritt einen politischen Realismus.“ https://t.co/iGYeqyiT5W pic.twitter.com/lCiw9pvwRe
— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) December 29, 2024
Weidel is considered to be part of the moderate or Alternative Mitte faction of the nationalist party.
Unlike Trump, Weidel has spoken strongly in support of free trade, going against generally protectionist ideas of nationalists, which lead to eventual economic failure. She has also spoken in support of sound money.
She – and the party – has advocated the exit from Euro amid the inflation and instability created by the European Central Bank. The ECB also ran a long cycle and imported a housing bubble triggered by the Fed, helping far right parties to rise up.
Weidel has slammed a decision by former Chancellor Angela Merkel to close nuclear plants and depending excessively on green energy which is blamed for expensive energy and the shift of industries to other locations.
Anton Hofreiter from the Green Party called the AfD “traitors bought by billionaires” and “a band of fascists who have not only been bought by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin but are now being supported by a multi-billionaire-turned-right-wing-extremist,” Deutshe Welle said.
Musk’s Tesla has a large plant in Germany.
Germany has going for snap elections after the coalition government of Chancellor Sholz lost a vote of no-confidence.
Under the Deutsche Mark which was the strongest currency during the Bretton Woods, liberals won election after election for almost two decades and the social democrats had to drop their Marxist views.
Snap elections are rare in Germany, but have happened after the collapse of the Bretton Woods and twice after the Euro was introduced. (Colombo/Dec30/2024)
