 "US Vice President Vance meets far-right AfD’s leader ahead of Germany snap elections")
US Vice President JD Vance Friday (February 14) met with the leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), Germany’s far-right party which previously saw backing from billionaire Elon Musk.
For his meeting with Alice Weidel, the AfD’s top candidate in February 23 elections, Vance went outside of the Munich Security Conference venue as the former was not invited to the conference, reported Associated Press, citing public broadcaster ZDF.
Elon Musk’s support for AfD
Elon Musk, a top ally of US President Donald Trump, has openly backed the AfD party ahead of February elections, drawing criticism from the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and accusations of meddling in Germany’s elections.
In January, Musk even attended a campaign for the AfD party virtually and addressed its 4,500 supporters.
Musk in his speech said that “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents,” in an apparent reference to the Nazi Germany.
“It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” Musk told the crowd.
Musk also declared that AfD was Germany’s “best hope” in the elections.
AfD has witnessed its support base swell over the past months, with the party becoming the first right-wing bloc to win a state election in Germany since the Nazi era and performing well in opinion polls for the upcoming election.
The German government has responded by accusing Musk of interfering in the elections.
Vance defends Musk
Earlier at the Munich Security Conference, Vance defended Musk by saying that mere expressing views didn’t amount to meddling in the country’s elections.
“And speaking up and expressing opinions isn’t election interference, even when people express views outside your own country, and even when those people are very influential,” Vance said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMusk, the world’s richest and arguably the most influential person, has openly thrown his weight behind far-right parties in Europe, such as AfD in Germany and Reform UK.
Musk even went after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for new elections and suggesting America should “liberate” Britain. Starmer later fired back at Musk and accused him of “spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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