Sat Jan 04 13:52:18 UTC 2025: **German Chancellor Scholz Remains Unfazed by Musk’s Insults, but Concerned by AfD Endorsement**
BERLIN, GERMANY (January 4, 2025) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has responded to criticism and insults from Elon Musk, stating that while he remains unfazed by the billionaire’s personal attacks, he is deeply troubled by Musk’s public endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Musk, a close associate of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, called Scholz a “fool” following the collapse of the German chancellor’s coalition government in November. He further fueled controversy by authoring an opinion piece for a major German newspaper, *Welt am Sonntag*, where he declared the AfD to be “the last spark of hope for this country.” This endorsement led to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest.
In an interview published Saturday by German magazine *Stern*, Scholz dismissed Musk’s insults, characterizing them as typical of “rich media entrepreneurs who do not appreciate social democratic politics.” However, he expressed serious concern over Musk’s support for the AfD, a party under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service for suspected right-wing extremism. Scholz highlighted the AfD’s stances on rapprochement with Russia and weakening transatlantic relations as particularly alarming.
Germany is set to hold early parliamentary elections on February 23rd following the November collapse of Scholz’s three-party coalition government. While the AfD is currently polling strongly, its candidate, Alice Weidel, faces an uphill battle to win the chancellorship due to other parties’ refusal to cooperate with the far-right group.
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