German chancellor has withering response to Elon Musk over his assist for far-right: ‘Don’t feed the troll’ | EUROtoday

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued a withering response to billionaire Elon Musk’s endorsement of the nation’s far-right social gathering, Alternative for Germany.

Scholz mentioned it was necessary to not “feed the troll,” referring to Musk, who just lately supplied assist for the Alternative für Deutschland social gathering — a far-right group — claiming, “only the AfD can save Germany.”

“There are a lot of people on social media who want to attract attention with snappy slogans,” Scholz informed the German media outlet Stern. “I don’t believe in courting Mr. Musk’s favor. I’m happy to leave that to others.”

He added: “There are many people on social media who want to attract attention with shrill slogans. The rule is: don’t feed the troll.”

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Musk and Scholz have an ongoing feud, with the billionaire calling the chancellor a “fool” and claiming he’ll lose within the subsequent election, Politico stories. He has additionally known as for Scholz to step down.

Christiane Hoffmann, a spokesperson for the German authorities, denounced Musk’s endorsement.

“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election through his statement,” she mentioned.

She added that “freedom of expression also includes the greatest nonsense.”

The SpaceX and Tesla proprietor confronted speedy backlash for backing the AfD.

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German well being minister Karl Lauterbach known as his assist for the far-right social gathering “undignified and highly problematic.” Elmar Brok, a former German MEP, known as Musk’s remark, “the world domination fantasies of the American tech kings”.

Musk has scheduled a dialog with AfD chief Alice Weidel for Thursday, in accordance with Politico.

This comes as Musk seems to be intently advising Donald Trump. The billionaire has been by Trump’s aspect ever since he received the White House in November.

Musk has additionally been named as co-chair of the brand new Department of Government Efficiency. Alongside co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk has vowed to chop lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} from the federal authorities’s finances within the position.