Elon Musk found himself in an exchange on X, formerly Twitter, with the German government following his comments on immigration, sparking a debate on the issue of national sovereignty and humanitarian efforts.
What Happened: Musk, known for his ventures in electric vehicles and space exploration, has been actively stepping into the realm of politics.
This particular controversy began when the tech billionaire shared a post from an account called RadioGenoa, which criticized the German government’s handling of illegal migration and expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany or AfD party.
The post from RadioGenoa highlighted Germany’s financial support for charities involved in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and included videos of these rescue missions. It ended with a plea: “Let’s hope the AfD wins the elections to stop this European suicide.”
Musk’s re-post of this message added fuel to the fire. Musk questioned the German government’s stance in his post by asking, “Is the German public aware of this?”
This prompted an immediate response from the official X account of the German Foreign Office, defending their actions with the statement, “Yes. And it’s called saving lives.”
But Musk wasn’t done there.
He further doubted whether the majority of the German public supported these actions.
He also raised concerns about the implications on Italy’s sovereignty, asking, “Surely it is a violation of the sovereignty of Italy for Germany to transport vast numbers of illegal immigrants to Italian soil? Has invasion vibes …”
Why It’s Important: On Thursday, Musk made a trip to the Texas-Mexico border, where he met with local politicians and law enforcement to gain what he referred to as an “unbiased” perspective on the immigration situation in the U.S.
He visited the border with Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), however, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized her Republican colleague for allegedly abandoning critical House votes in favor of a “joyride” with the Tesla CEO.
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