German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply criticized Elon Musk, who recently called him a "fool", for his support for right-wing parties in Europe, including in Germany and the United Kingdom.
“What should really worry us is that a media influencer like Elon Musk supports far-right parties in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, Germany and many other countries“, Scholz said during an election campaign event in the town of Schwalbach. His words were quoted by the DPA agency.
“This deserves criticism“, the chancellor said, without mentioning the names of the parties.
Musk's recommendation to vote for the Alternative for Germany party recently drew criticism. Scholz stressed that he “is not impressed“ when Musk expresses his economic and political views and interferes in the internal affairs of a foreign country. “The fact that this comes from abroad is new, but it is part of freedom of speech“, said the head of the German government.
“The fact that conservative media owners are waging fierce campaigns against Social Democratic politicians is nothing new“, Scholz added. "They've always been allowed to do that," he said.
Musk has been actively commenting on the political situation in the United Kingdom and Germany in recent weeks, criticizing the current governments in those countries and supporting the opposition. He called Scholz a fool and said that only the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, which has never led either the federal or regional government, can save the country from the crisis. Musk also called for the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying that "America must free the people of Britain from a tyrannical government."