[“You Have to Make a Decision: Do You Want to Be on Our Side?”
In a controversial speech, a far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician, Maximilian Krah, urged voters to choose between the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and those on the side of Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The AfD has been riding high in the polls and could finish second in elections later this month.
Party leader Alice Weidel and co-leader Tino Chrupalla have also expressed admiration for Trump, with Weidel wishing him “blessings for his next tenure” and Chrupalla calling him a “liberator.” The party has seized on the attention from Musk to normalize themselves, using the Trump administration as their yardstick.
Matthais Quent, a researcher on extremism, believes the AfD is infatuated with Trump and is harnessing his support to their benefit. The party has similar issues with mass migration and economic headwinds, and both parties blame the governing class for these problems.
Quent says the AfD is flattered by Musk’s interest and is seizing an opportunity to be seen as a normal political party. The party’s rise may be attributed to the weakness of the government and how social debates focus on hot-button issues like immigration.
Despite Musk’s involvement, the AfD is likely to be frozen out of government due to an agreement between Germany’s larger parties to refuse forming a government or passing laws with AfD assistance. However, the party’s influence is still being felt, with debates on tighter immigration legislation spearheaded by the favorite for chancellor, Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
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