Halle and Berlin, Germany
CNN
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“You have to make a decision. Do you want to have the party of [Chancellor] Olaf Scholz and all those eunuchs? Or are you on our side, with Elon Musk and Donald Trump? Which side has more sex appeal?”
This was Maximilian Krah, a highly controversial and outspoken, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician speaking to CNN in Halle, eastern Germany, last month. His comments, came as the AfD launched their national election campaign in front of 4,000 supporters.
Minutes later, Musk made a surprise video appearance beamed into the conference center. There was plenty of love in the room for Trump and his new administration from senior party officials.
The AfD has been riding high in the polls and could finish second in elections later this month.
Some of the rhetoric from Halle begs the question: is the AfD infatuated with Trump? And if so, why? The traffic has largely been one way – Musk aside, the new US president himself hasn’t spoken about the election or the party, which appears determined to forge an alliance.
And perhaps for good reason. Both the US and Germany have similar issues of mass migration and economic headwinds. And both parties have laid the blame for those issues at the feet of the governing class of ‘liberal’ parties, in their words.
Party leader Alice Weidel, speaking to CNN as she came off stage in Halle, went out of her way to wish the best for the new administration in Washington. “I wish [Elon Musk], Donald Trump and JD Vance all the best blessings for their next tenure,” she said.
Tino Chrupalla, the AfD co-leader, who attended the Capital One rally in Washington on inauguration day, also spoke in glowing terms about the US president.
Addressing the crowd before Weidel, he said, “You could feel the optimism and hope in the president. The American people felt liberated.” Chrupalla added: “He (Trump) implemented his election promises… That’s what I call politics for the people.”
Matthais Quent is a researcher and author on extremism, in particular the AfD and Germany’s far right. He says the attention from Musk is unchartered territory for the party, and they are harnessing it to their benefit.
The party has seized on an opportunity to normalize themselves, using the Trump administration as their yardstick. “To see the biggest power in the world has a far-right leadership, this tells them, ‘okay, we can achieve this goal as well,’” Quent said in an interview with CNN.
Not every observer would agree with the assessment of Trump’s administration, but certainly, there is considerable overlap both in policy and in strategy.
“It’s nationalism, it’s populism, it’s anti-immigration, it’s disruption,” Quent says.
Across Europe there has been a wave of far-right parties coming to power on largely populist platforms. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, is a longtime Trump supporter and welcomed his return to office.
Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, who also survived an assassination attempt last year, has openly said his policies align closely with those of Trump.
As for the Musk-AfD alliance, Quent thinks they are flattered by his interest and are seizing an opportunity.
“The AfD has never had such open support by a whole government, or by a guy next to the government. They had support form very rich people in Europe and from Germany, but it was hidden and not public… he helps them to be seen as a normal political party which is the narrative of all far-right populist movements in the world,” Quent said.
At the campaign event in Halle, Musk repeated a common trope of his in this election, saying the AfD is Germany’s “best hope” before adding, “it’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”
Musk also caused controversy this week as commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz camp complex were held.
The billionaire said there’s “too much of a focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that.”
Musk’s remarks mirrored the AfD’s long-held position that Germany should stop atoning for crimes committed by the Nazis in the past.
The comments irked Scholz, who called Musk’s words “disgusting.”
However, Quent questions how much Musk’s involvement is translating to support in the polls. He believes the AfD’s rise may be more accurately attributed to the weakness of the government and how social debates are focusing on the hot-button AfD issues, such as immigration.
Currently polling at roughly 21% would make the AfD the second largest political force in Germany and the first far-right party in that position since the Nazi era.
But the reality is they are likely to be frozen out of government. There has long been an agreement between Germany’s larger parties to refuse forming a government or passing laws with AfD assistance – it’s known as the “firewall.”
However, debates on tighter immigration legislation held this week in the Bundestag and, particularly a vote on Friday called the “influx limitation act” have been spearheaded by the favorite for chancellor, Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The moves show the kind of impact the AfD are having on the campaign and major parties. Merz lost the vote on Friday, handing what people see as a victory for the AfD and a dent to his own campaign.
Regardless of how German voters may see the involvement from the US, Quent says, “in general, [the AfD leadership] are in favor of Trump, and they feel and they have a momentum right now.”
