Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Musk’s interference

Elon Musk’s decision to host German far-right leader Alice Weidel in a livestream on X is sparking fury from European Union leaders and lawmakers, who on Monday urged Brussels to deploy its full legal might to rein in the billionaire tech magnate.

In response, the European Commission said the SpaceX founder and senior member of the incoming Trump administration could indeed land in legal hot water under the terms of the EU’s new digital rulebook, depending on the extent to which the Thursday livestream is deemed to boost Weidel unfairly over rivals ahead of Germany’s Feb. 23 election.

Across Europe, teaming up with Weidel is seen as an inflammatory step as members of her populist and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have for years been accused of whitewashing and trivializing Nazi crimes. The AfD is currently polling second.

French President Emmanuel Macron was quick to accuse Musk of having gone too far in his vocal support for the AfD. “Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany,” he said in a speech at the Elysée Palace.

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