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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued a withering response to billionaire Elon Musk’s endorsement of the country’s far-right party, Alternative for Germany.
Scholz said it was important to not “feed the troll,” referring to Musk, who recently offered support for the Alternative für Deutschland party — a far-right group — claiming, “only the AfD can save Germany.”
“There are a lot of people on social media who want to attract attention with snappy slogans,” Scholz told the German media outlet Stern. “I don’t believe in courting Mr. Musk’s favor. I’m happy to leave that to others.”
He added: “There are many people on social media who want to attract attention with shrill slogans. The rule is: don’t feed the troll.”
Musk and Scholz have an ongoing feud, with the billionaire calling the chancellor a “fool” and claiming he’ll lose in the next election, Politico reports. He has also called for Scholz to step down.
Christiane Hoffmann, a spokesperson for the German government, denounced Musk’s endorsement.
“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election through his statement,” she said.
She added that “freedom of expression also includes the greatest nonsense.”
The SpaceX and Tesla owner faced immediate backlash for backing the AfD.
German health minister Karl Lauterbach called his support for the far-right party “undignified and highly problematic.” Elmar Brok, a former German MEP, called Musk’s comment, “the world domination fantasies of the American tech kings”.
Musk has scheduled a conversation with AfD leader Alice Weidel for Thursday, according to Politico.
This comes as Musk appears to be closely advising Donald Trump. The billionaire has been by Trump’s side ever since he won the White House in November.
Musk has also been named as co-chair of the new Department of Government Efficiency. Alongside co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk has vowed to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government’s budget in the role.