Relations between Olaf Scholz and Elon Musk are not getting better. The German Chancellor has in fact reignited criticism by condemning the “erratic statements” of Donald Trump’s friend as well as his support for the far-right AfD party, in an interview published on Saturday.
Questioned by the magazine Stern on the barbs of the American billionaire, who notably called him “crazy” at the beginning of November then an “incompetent imbecile” on December 20, before attacking German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, described as a “tyrant”, Olaf Scholz felt that “we had to keep calm”.
Early legislative elections on February 23
“In Germany, everything happens in accordance with the will of the citizens, and not according to the erratic declarations of an American billionaire,” declared the German leader, a month and a half before early legislative elections scheduled for February 23. “The German president is not an undemocratic tyrant and Germany is a strong and stable democracy – no matter what Mr. Musk says,” the Social Democratic Chancellor stressed in this interview.
Olaf Scholz, on the other hand, considers “much more problematic than these insults” Elon Musk’s support for the AfD “a party which advocates a rapprochement with Putin’s Russia and wants the weakening of transatlantic ties”. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), credited in the polls with second place (19% on average) in the legislative elections behind the conservatives (around 33%), recognized Tuesday in the Spiegel be in regular contact with the American businessman’s team. The 53-year-old entrepreneur will participate in a conversation on January 9 with the leader of this training, Alice Weidel, on X.
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Asked by Stern if he planned to invite Elon Musk to a discussion, Olaf Scholz said: “I don’t think we should try to curry favor with Mr. Musk. I leave that to others.” The German Chancellor also recalled having met the billionaire in March 2022, during the inauguration of the Tesla factory in Brandenburg, not far from Berlin, at a “time when the local AfD was protesting against its establishment “.