Musk meddling in Germany, UK politics ‘unacceptable’ to over two-thirds of people: YouGov poll

A recent poll has shown that a majority of people in the UK and Germany view Elon Musk’s attempts to sway their national politics as unacceptable, saying that the US tech magnate lacks a deep understanding of either country and the challenges they face.

According to The Guardian report, the survey by YouGov comes in the wake of several critical remarks made by Musk, the billionaire behind Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media platform X, targeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and their governments.

The poll, which surveyed over 2,200 individuals in each country, revealed that a majority —54% — in both the UK and Germany considered it “not important” for their governments to maintain a positive relationship with Musk. Around 50% believed he was best left ignored.

Only 13% of respondents in both countries viewed Musk’s involvement in their politics as acceptable, while 69% in the UK and 73% in Germany disagreed. Moreover, most participants felt that his interference in US politics was also unacceptable, reported The Guardian.

According to the report, when asked about Musk’s understanding of their countries’ politics and issues, responses were overwhelmingly negative: only about 20% in both the UK and Germany felt he knew “a great deal” or “a fair amount,” while 63% said he knew “not much” or “nothing at all.” A similar percentage believed he was generally ignorant of European politics.

In Germany, Musk faced backlash weeks before federal elections for claiming on X that only the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) could “save Germany,” later asserting it was “clearly false” to label the party as extreme.

He also labeled Chancellor Scholz an “incompetent fool” and referred to President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as an “anti-democratic tyrant.” Recently, he praised AfD leader Alice Weidel during a live stream.

In the UK, Musk has described the country as a “tyrannical police state,” criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “two-tier Keir” over allegations of judicial discrimination against far-right rioters, and condemned new inheritance tax rules as the UK “going full Stalin.”

He even suggested that King Charles should dissolve Parliament and called Starmer “utterly despicable” regarding his alleged involvement in a grooming gangs scandal.

The survey showed that Musk, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, is largely unpopular in both the UK and Germany. The only exceptions were among AfD voters, 70% of whom viewed him favorably, in contrast to fewer than 20% of supporters from other major German parties. He also expressed interest in donating $100 million to Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage.

With inputs from agencies