Musk editorial leads to editor's resignation

Elon Musk's weekend German guest opinion post for Welt am Sonntag, an Axel Springer Group sister site of POLITICO, was his second support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) this month.

Musk's support for Germany's far-right party in a major publication before legislative elections sparked outrage and led to the departure of the paper's opinion editor, as The Guardian reported.

Germany will hold an early election on Feb. 23 following the breakdown of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition due to a disagreement over revitalizing the economy.

"The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country," Musk wrote in his translated commentary.

More Rational for Support

The tech billionare went on to say the far-right party "can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality."

The Tesla Motors CEO said his investment in Germany gave him the right to comment on its state. According to recent reports, the AfD is polling well, but its chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, has no chance of becoming chancellor because other parties won't deal with it.

The technology mogul, a Trump ally, criticized the party's image in an opinion article.

"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!"

Debate on Musk's Take

In response to Musk's comments, the paper's opinion editor resigned, citing Musk's social media platform, X.

"I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print," Eva Marie Kogel wrote.

Jan Philipp Burgard, who would later become the chief editor of the Welt group, wrote a critical piece that was included with Musk's opinion piece: "Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong," Burgard wrote.

Publication Response

In response to dpa, Welt group editor-in-chief Ulf Poschardt and Burgard, who will take over on Jan. 1, claimed the Musk piece debate was "very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression."

"This will continue to determine the compass of the "world" in the future. We will develop "Die Welt" even more decisively as a forum for such debates," they wrote to dpa.