Musk Tells Germans to Get Over ‘Past Guilt’ in Speech to Far-Right AfD Rally
Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, Politico, January 25, 2025
Elon Musk made a virtual appearance at a rally for the far-right Alternative for Germany party on Saturday, reiterating his support ahead of the country’s Feb. 23 election and telling the crowd that it’s time to “move on” from “past guilt.”
The Tesla CEO addressed the crowd alongside party leader Alice Weidel, saying that the party is the “best hope for Germany” and calling to “preserve German culture” and “protect the German people.”
“Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents,” Musk said, seemingly referencing the country’s history with the Nazi party.
“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 added, to cheers from the crowd of some 4,500 people.
Donald Tusk, prime minister of Poland, said Musk’s speech sounded ominous to him.
“The words we heard from the main actors of the AfD rally about ‘Great Germany’ and ‘the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes’ sounded all too familiar and ominous. Especially only hours before the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,” Tusk wrote, referencing the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the most-infamous Nazi death camp.
Speaking Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, also lamented that Musk’s remarks so closely correlated with the Auschwitz anniversary, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, wondered why President Donald Trump has not spoken out against Musk’s remarks.
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