The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) secured a striking victory in a German state election, coming close to forming the country's first far-right regional government since the Second World War. Elon Musk publicly celebrated the result on X, congratulating AfD leader Alice Weidel and prompting party officials to praise him in return, reigniting scrutiny of the billionaire's longstanding ties to the party and his broader role in promoting far-right movements internationally.

Musk's relationship with the AfD predates this election and mirrors his own rightward political shift, with his rhetoric on immigration and race increasingly echoing party positions. In 2024 he wrote an op-ed backing the AfD as Germany's "last spark of hope", and in January 2025 he hosted a livestream with Weidel that researchers say significantly boosted her profile and generated a surge in German media coverage. He has also aligned himself with other international far-right figures, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and UK activist Tommy Robinson, positioning himself as a global backer of anti-immigration, nativist politics.