German publication Welt am Sonntag featured a column by Elon Musk endorsing the "Alternative for Germany" party.

The German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published a column by Elon Musk on Saturday, December 28, in which he expressed support for the pro-Russian far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD), reports Deutsche Welle.

In protest, the editor of the columnists' section, Eva Marie Kogel, announced her resignation.

"I have always enjoyed leading the columnists' section at Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag. Today, a text by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday, after its publication, I submitted my resignation," Kogel wrote on social media platform X.

Musk states that he has the right to comment on German politics "as someone who has made significant investments in Germany's industrial and technological landscape."

The billionaire believes that the German economy "is sinking in bureaucracy and stifling regulations." He criticizes the migration and energy policies of the German government and views the AfD's promises as answers to all problems.

"Germany is at a critical juncture – its future hangs in the balance between economic and cultural collapse," Musk asserts.

"The perception of the AfD as right-wing extremists is clearly misguided, considering that the party leader Alice Weidel has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka. Does this remind you of Hitler? Stop!" Musk writes.

Musk's column was published alongside a commentary from the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Jan Philip Burgard.

"This is a text that calls for dissent," reads the introduction.

In Burgard's commentary, he states that "Musk is right to see our country in an economic and cultural crisis."

"The failed migration, energy, and social policies of the Merkel era and the 'traffic light' coalition have jeopardized our prosperity. Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his assertion that only the AfD can save Germany is fatally flawed," comments the editor-in-chief of Die Welt.

He reminds that the AfD plans to withdraw Germany from the European Union, which would be "a disaster for Germany as an exporting nation, since over half of all German exports go to the internal European market."

Burgard emphasizes that the AfD is not just Alice Weidel, but also other more radical politicians. In several federal states, courts have recognized the party's youth organizations as far-right extremist.

"Even a genius can make mistakes," Burgard concludes.

According to Der Spiegel magazine, several leading journalists on the editorial board of Die Welt opposed the publication of Musk's article on Friday. The magazine reports that "the guest article was apparently arranged by Matthias Döpfner, the head of Axel Springer, the publisher of Die Welt."

"It is said that shortly before Christmas, he asked Musk to post on Twitter (X) that 'only the AfD can save Germany,'" Der Spiegel writes.

The portal Medieninsider confirms that part of the Die Welt editorial team opposed the publication of Musk's article, calling it "election campaign advertising disguised as a guest article."

"He uses Welt as a platform, thereby ridiculing all journalists, whom he already mocks daily: outdated media that jump when the richest person in the world wants them to," wrote one of the journalists.

Background. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Elon Musk complained about being bullied on his own social network X. He removed journalists from the platform who criticized him for his love of migrants.