German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Elon Musk: ‘Don’t Engage with the Troll’

[Social Media]

 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently shared his thoughts on handling tech mogul Elon Musk, who has been exchanging sharp comments with German politicians. Scholz advised against engaging with Musk, suggesting it is better not to “feed the troll.”

 

“There are a lot of people on social media who want to attract attention with snappy slogans,” Scholz said during an interview with the German magazine *Stern*, published on Saturday. “I don’t believe in courting Mr. Musk’s favor,” he added, “I’m happy to leave that to others.”

 

Scholz further emphasized that as a Social Democrat, he is accustomed to dealing with wealthy media entrepreneurs who do not appreciate Social Democratic policies and openly express their disdain. His remarks came amidst an ongoing back-and-forth with Musk, a tech billionaire closely allied with President-elect Donald Trump.

 

Musk, recently appointed by Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, has used his social media platform to mock Scholz, referring to him as “Oaf Schitz” and predicting his defeat in the upcoming parliamentary elections on February 23. This jab came shortly after Musk wrote an op-ed in the German newspaper *Welt am Sonntag*, where he expressed strong support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), led by Alice Weidel. In the op-ed, Musk criticized Germany's bureaucracy and regulatory overreach, endorsing AfD’s immigration policies.

 

Following the publication of Musk’s op-ed, the German government accused him of interfering in the country's electoral process. However, they downplayed his efforts to boost support for the AfD, stating that “freedom of expression also includes the greatest nonsense.”

In his New Year’s address, Scholz subtly responded to Musk’s provocations, saying, “In our debates, one can be forgiven for sometimes thinking the more extreme an opinion is, the more attention it will garner.”

 

Scholz expressed greater concern over Musk’s support for the AfD, a party with elements that are right-wing extremist, promote reconciliation with Putin’s Russia, and seek to weaken transatlantic relations. “It’s much more worrying than such insults,” Scholz told *Stern*.

Musk, who has been increasingly involved in U.S. politics, backing Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign with a significant financial contribution of at least $250 million, is set to speak with Weidel, the AfD leader, on January 9 via his platform, X.

 

Germany is heading into its February election amidst political turmoil, following the collapse of Scholz's coalition in November.

 

Based on a report by The Hill 2024-01-06

 

 

[newnative]

Good advice.

[BusyB]

42 minutes ago, newnative said:

Good advice.

 

Unfortunately the Americans seem to have installed a trollocracy.

 

4 more years. Of this? Jesus wept.

[Tug]

26 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

Unfortunately the Americans seem to have installed a trollocracy.

 

4 more years. Of this? Jesus wept.

As an American I totally agree,unfortunately this mistake will affect us all and not in a good way.I hope I’m wrong but I doubt it.