Elon Musk continues flexing his political muscle in 2025, calling for the release of a controversial British far-right political figure and increasing his support for a German far-right party.
Newsweek reached out to the British Home Office by phone and Elon Musk and Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage by email for comment on Thursday morning.
Why It Matters
Musk was a pivotal player in the 2024 U.S. election, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to get Donald Trump elected. Now, the SpaceX founder appears to have set his sights across the Atlantic on Europe and the U.K., prompting accusations of attempted election influence.
What to Know
Late last year, Musk, the incoming co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), interrupted the passage of a bipartisan spending bill, forcing House Republicans to scramble to come up with a new proposal to avert a Christmastime government shutdown.
The Tesla CEO then made a slew of controversial comments in support of German and British right-wing movements.
He said he might invest upwards of $127 million into the right-wing Reform U.K. Party and later said the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is the “only” party that can “save Germany,” while rejecting the idea that the party is “rightwing extremist.”
Musk wasted little time in the new year before he hit out at the British government, calling for the release of Tommy Robinson, a pseudonym for Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Robinson was a member of the English Defence League, a British social movement that has been described as racist and Islamophobic. He is among the most prominent far-right activists in the U.K.
Robinson is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court after he aired a documentary that a judge said contained libelous claims about a 15-year-old Syrian refugee. This is Robinson’s fifth prison term.
Musk posted the full one hour and forty-five-minute documentary to X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a message to “Free Tommy Robinson!”
Politico spoke with a number of British members of parliament (MP) who expressed shock over Musk’s backing of Robinson. One anonymous Labour MP called Musk’s language “dangerous,” while another called it “manipulative rhetoric.”
Robinson has also drawn criticism from other right-wing activists and politicians.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform U.K. and former leader of of the U.K. Independence Party (UKIP), fled UKIP after criticizing its “fixation” with Robinson.
In a 2018 opinion piece for the Daily Telegraph, Farage announced his departure from UKIP due to “street activism” in which members were “urged to attend marches rather than taking the fight to the ballot box.”
Musk has also zeroed in on Germany, where he continues to amplify AfD. After his initial post in December supporting the party, he doubled-down ahead of a snap election on February 23 with an op-ed in which he called AfD the “last spark of hope” for Germany.
The op-ed, published in Politico sister publication Welt am Sonntag, urged German voters to support AfD, saying the party will “lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.”
Musk said he had the right to comment on the country’s politics because of a major investment he made in Germany—a Tesla factory in Berlin that Musk wants to expand into a freight depot and warehouses.
AfD saw a surge in support following an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany last month, during which a driver plowed into a crowd, killing five people and injuring dozens of others.
German Government Spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann criticized Musk’s comments at a media briefing, telling reporters he was “trying to influence the federal election” and adding that “freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense,” The Guardian reported.
Musk fired back, saying he would hold a conversation with AfD leader Alice Weidel on X, which Weidel’s spokesperson Daniel Tapp promised would happen “very soon.” Tapp told Politico that while no date has been set, it will “definitely” occur before the election.
Rolf Mützenich of Germany’s Social Democratic Party told German news outlet Der Spiegel that Musk’s close ties to Trump raised questions about whether “the repeated disrespected, defamation and interference in the election campaign were also expressed in the name of the new U.S. government.”
What People Are Saying
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote on X: “I am appalled by the attacks on free speech in Britain and Europe. We can’t be truly free without free speech. Good for Elon Musk and X for standing up to these bullies.”
Alex Jones of “InfoWars” reposted the Robinson documentary and wrote on X: “Tommy Robinson is an absolute hero! He is now in solitary confinement for defying the courts orders not to release his film exposed a huge Islamic child kidnapping sex ring! The totalitarian UK government governments attempt to suppress Tommy’s film has completely failed and now it has over 122 million views.”
“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci, who was born and raised in Scotland, wrote on X: Musk is a “dangerous fool” for supporting Robinson.
Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy responded to Musk’s support of Robinson on X, writing: “Tommy Robinson is in jail for contempt of court because he repeated false claims against a Syrian refugee. Its not a ‘debate’. Its a lie and he tried to use it to foment anger and hatred in our society for political gain. Elon Musk appears to be doing the same.”
Shayan Sardarizadeh, a senior journalist for BBC Verify, wrote on X: “The owner of this app seems unaware that Tommy Robinson is in prison because he admitted to contempt of court after repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee who had been physically attacked at school despite being instructed by a court not to do so.”
What Happens Next
Germans will head to the polls next month to elect a new parliament after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier deemed the three-party coalition unworkable.
“Especially in difficult times, like now, stability requires a government capable of acting, and reliable majorities in parliament,” Steinmeier said.
Musk will also hold his X Spaces interview with Weidel. It remains unclear if he will follow through on his suggestion of injecting more than $100 million into the Reform U.K. party.
The post Elon Musk Makes Major Push in Europe to Boost German, British Far-Right appeared first on Newsweek.
