Musk spoke with Weidel

Back to nuclear power and Hitler as a communist

AfD leader Alice Weidel spoke to Elon Musk via Platform X on Thursday evening.(Bild: AFP/(c) dpa-POOL)

It would be hard to summarize the conversation that AfD leader Alice Weidel had with X boss Elon Musk on his platform on Thursday evening in any other way. Germany was advised to return to nuclear power, Hitler was turned into a communist - in the end, not even God was spared ...

"I think it's right to significantly increase the proportion of nuclear energy in Germany. That would be great," Musk said in the public online conversation with AfD leader Alice Weidel on his platform X. "When I saw that Germany was shutting down power plants after being cut off from gas supplies from Russia, I thought, that's crazy. That's one of the craziest things I've ever seen," said the tech billionaire. Nuclear power is one of the best sources of electricity.

Germany phased out the use of nuclear energy in mid-April 2023. Now Weidel also spoke out vehemently in favor of nuclear energy. She also showered Musk's ally Donald Trump with roses and expressed hope that the US President-elect would end the war in Ukraine.

European politicians are not in a position to do this, said the AfD's lead candidate for the Bundestag elections. Many people in Europe are justifiably concerned, as the conflict has a high potential for escalation. The European governments had "no strategy" to bring about an end to this war. "Yes, I think President Trump will resolve this conflict very quickly," said Musk. 

"Hitler was a communist"
 Weidel also referred to the National Socialist Adolf Hitler as a "communist" during the interview: "National Socialists, as the word implies, were socialists. He was a communist and saw himself as a socialist." Hitler nationalized companies and demanded high taxes. "And the greatest success after this terrible era in our history was to describe Adolf Hitler as right-wing and conservative," said the AfD leader. "He was exactly the opposite. He was not a conservative, he was not a libertarian. He was this communist, socialist guy. Period."

Weidel drew another Hitler comparison in connection with the regulation of the internet, saying: "Do you know what Adolf Hitler did first? He shut down free speech, he controlled the media." 

In return, Musk repeated his election recommendation for the AfD (see tweet). "People want change," he said. "And that's why I recommend voting for the AfD. Only the AfD can save Germany, end of story," he added.

"Not sure if there is a God"
In the end, it came down to God himself: "I'm certainly open to the idea of God," Musk stated, but in view of the many evil things that happen in the world, he asked himself the question: "If there is someone who is constantly watching us on a moral basis, then it seems strange that some very bad things are allowed to happen." Weidel replied that she felt similarly to him. "To be honest, I'm still searching. I don't know what to believe."