We knew Elon Musk was familiar with the European far right, but we less imagined that the richest man in the world could slip up to this extent live. This is what happened during a conversation broadcast on X with the head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, on January 9, 2025.
The atmosphere suddenly became grim when the German leader and the billionaire began to discuss Hitler, the existence of God and the day when Martians will come to save the Earth. The content of this interview is alarming, especially when we know that Alice Weidel aims to succeed Olaf Scholz as German chancellor during the federal elections scheduled for February 23.
Alice Weidel or Alice “Veedle”, it doesn’t matter
To introduce the AfD candidate in the live, Elon Musk presented her as the main favorite of the poll. Problem is, he misrepresented his name from the start by pronouncing “Veedle” rather than “Weidel”. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is the program. Not the person who plays him.
Hitler, this communist
Musk went on to share his extensive knowledge of German political history, asking the AfD leader if her party was “somehow associated with Nazism or something”. Weidel, who initially praised the relevance of the question, later asserted that Hitler “was a communist, and he considered himself a socialist”before adding that “the greatest failure in German history, after this terrible period, was to characterize Adolf Hitler as conservative and right-wing. He was the opposite. He was not conservative. He was not a libertarian. He was a socialist-communist, and we are the exact opposite.”
Hitler, Musk and the media
In order to gain access to the German chancellery, Adolf Hitler would have brought the entire press into line. For Elon Musk, self-proclaimed defender of total freedom of expression, this amounts to “extreme censorship”. But fortunately, the AfD is there to prevent this danger.
To save Germany, vote AFD
Weidel cited a Politico article, explaining that 150 civil servants of the European Union (EU) were monitoring their live chat on X to see if Elon Musk would promote the AfD, which would violate EU digital rules. Musk did not seem worried by this announcement, as he said: “The American people have demanded change, I recommend the German people do the same. I strongly recommend that people vote for the AFD.”
We’re all going to die!
To the question “why do you devote so much energy to making trips to Mars?”the boss of SpaceX replied that he was doing this because “dinosaurs didn’t have spaceships” and that it was therefore necessary to prepare for the possibility of humanity being destroyed by a meteorite or nuclear war. But he also knew how to be perfectly rational, watch out! “A lot of people think there must be aliens, but I haven’t seen any evidence of their existence,” Musk said.
We need a new planet
That said, he thinks “that there will be Martians who will come to help us and save us in an emergency, just as America helped save the rest of the world during World War I and World War II, and during the Cold War.” It is true that their help would be welcome, especially when we now know that it would take a million tons of materials as well as a million individuals to live independently on Mars.
And God in all this?
Alice Weidel then followed up with questions for Elon Musk, even going so far as to ask him if he believed in God (a great late-night classic, when tequila remains the only option on the table). Musk therefore opened up on the subject and explained that he was open to the idea that a god could exist. No one can throw stones at him, believing in God or not is a strictly personal choice. But the sequence of questions raises questions.
Life, the universe and the rest
We also learn that Donald Trump’s new friend went through a period of existential crisis at the age of 13: “I read religious texts and works of philosophy in bookstores. I was reading Schopenhauer.” He identified in particular with the thought of Douglas Adams, British philosopher, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyin which the Earth is described as a giant computer.
What is war for?
Big question, it’s true. For Elon Musk, we must above all end the war in Ukraine. He hopes that Donald Trump will be able to do it, where the Europeans do not have the means. “Ukraine is a much smaller country than Russia. She simply cannot afford to suffer so many losses, he argued. The longer this goes on, the more difficult it is for Ukraine.” And too bad if the negotiated peace aligns with Russian demands.
Source: www.slate.fr
