Musk's Millions and Germany's Far Right: Can He Buy This Election?

Photo by Daniel Oberhaus on Flickr

Published: 07 Jan, 2025

1 min read

Elon Musk’s weird journey into politics went global last month when he endorsed Germany’s far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), in an op-ed for Welt am Sonntag. His controversial move sparked backlash from Germany’s center-right leader and led to the resignation of the paper’s editor.

While Musk’s influence in U.S. politics has cemented his role as a major power broker in Washington, can he wield the same impact in Germany?

In this episode, Dan and Shawn break down Musk’s impact on American politics, the rise of AfD and its parallels to the Tea Party and MAGA movements, and how Germany’s proportional representation system prevents the outsized influence of big money, and what lessons the U.S. can learn from Germany’s approach to elections.

In this article

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Musk's Millions and Germany's Far Right: Can He Buy This Election?

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