A column by Elon Musk published on Saturday in Welt am Sonntag, in which the American billionaire reaffirms and justifies his support for the far-right German party AfD, has led to the resignation of a senior editor at the conservative newspaper.
"Today, a column by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday, I submitted my resignation following its publication," announced Eva Marie Kogel, head of editorial content, on X, a platform owned by Elon Musk.
In the column, Musk describes the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "the last beacon of hope for this country," which he claims is "on the brink of economic and cultural collapse."
Musk, a close associate of former President Donald Trump, praises the party’s "controlled immigration policy", its economic objectives to "cut taxes" and its goal to "deregulate the market."
Musk argues that labelling the AfD as far-right is "clearly incorrect," pointing to the party leader Alice Weidel, who “has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka."
'Even a genius can be wrong'
However, Jan Philipp Burgard, the new editor-in-chief of Die Welt, contradicts Musk in the column, stating that "even a genius can be wrong."
The AfD is a "danger to our values and economy," according to Burgard, who noted that another party leader, Björn Höcke, "has been repeatedly convicted for using a banned Nazi slogan."
This controversial column follows a provocative tweet by Musk on 20 December, in which he wrote that "only the AfD" could "save Germany." The statement caused unease in the country amidst the campaign for the February snap elections, where the AfD is polling at an average of 19% in vote intentions.
On top of Kogel’s resignation, Musk’s pro-AfD column has sparked further outrage.
The German Journalists Association (DJV) has condemned the "electoral advertising" allowed by Die Welt’s editorial team. "German media must not allow themselves to be manipulated as mouthpieces for autocrats and their allies," said DJV leader Mika Beuster.
Die Welt is part of the Axel Springer media group, which also owns Politico.
