When it comes to courting controversy, there are few political rivals to Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). A former spokesman identified himself as a “fascist” in 2020, and later the same year talked nonchalantly about how refugees could be “shot or gassed” as he discussed how more migrants coming in would translate into polling gains for the AfD (“the worse it goes for Germany,

Musk won AfD a massive new audience, and JD Vance added support. That brought the party outsized attention, but the impact in Germany was limited, data shows.

First Tesla Inc. surged. Then SpaceX became the world’s most valuable tech startup and xAI nearly doubled its valuation before looking to do it again. Now, X is looking to join Elon Musk’s other companies in leveraging the billionaire’s unprecedented political power.

In the wake of Trump’s victory—and his administration’s transformation from staunch ally to sneering adversary—Germany’s firewall against the far right is beginning to crack.

Voters in the EU’s largest country are set to go to the polls as US leaders threaten to withdraw military support from the continent, economic malaise lingers, and the far-right AfD gains ground. In this Viewsroom podcast,

Mounting economic concerns have boosted support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is now polling in second place.