Elon Musk’s Controversial X Livestream Sparks Backlash (Video)

In a livestream on Thursday, Elon Musk and Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), made a bizarre and historically controversial claim: Adolf Hitler was a communist.

The stream, broadcast on Musk’s X platform, had been hyped for days. Musk, who has been openly aligning with right-wing views in recent months, was joined by Weidel to discuss various political topics. Given his public support for the AfD, their collaboration didn’t come as a surprise.

A Controversial Claim About Hitler

What did come as a shock, however, was the direction the conversation took. Musk and Weidel both agreed that Hitler, known for leading Nazi Germany through some of the most catastrophic periods in modern history, was a socialist and communist. “Hitler was a communist, and he considered himself a socialist,” Weidel boldly stated during the conversation, despite overwhelming historical evidence to the contrary.

For context, Hitler rose to power by explicitly banning the Communist Party of Germany in 1933. He made his views clear in Mein Kampf, where he denounced communism and socialism, associating both with Jewish conspiracies that he believed were undermining the “Aryan race.” Under his rule, communists, socialists, and political opponents were executed or sent to concentration camps.

Yet Weidel continued, claiming, “The biggest success after that terrible era in our history was to label Adolf Hitler as right-wing and conservative. He was exactly the opposite. He wasn’t a conservative, he wasn’t a libertarian, he was a communist, socialist guy, and we are the opposite.” Musk responded with a casual “Right,” and later added “yes, exactly,” as she further claimed Hitler’s success was due to controlling the media and suppressing free speech.

A Moment of Historical Revisionism

This revisionist theory stirred outrage among historians and political analysts. Historians point out that Hitler’s extreme nationalism, militarism, and anti-communist policies were hallmarks of far-right ideology, not left-wing socialism. In 1941, he famously launched an invasion of the Soviet Union, the world’s largest communist state at the time. Yet Musk and Weidel seemed intent on distorting these facts, framing Hitler’s actions as “socialist.”

Weidel further argued that Hitler’s media control was central to his rise to power. “He switched off free speech. He controlled the media, and without that, he would have never been successful,” she said. The conversation also attracted attention from European regulators, who are investigating whether the discussion violated rules of the EU’s Digital Services Act, especially as the AfD is gearing up for the German elections next month.

Elon Musk and Alice Weidel (of the far-right German AfD party) put their brains together for a discussion:

Weidel: “The National Socialists (Nazis) were socialist. Adolf Hitler was a socialist.”

Musk: “Yeah, they nationalized industries like crazy.”

Weidel: “He was a… pic.twitter.com/TmDzHqTidM

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) January 9, 2025

Musk’s Support for the AfD

Musk’s public backing of the AfD is no secret. Last month, he wrote an op-ed defending the party’s leader, Alice Weidel, and criticized the media for labeling the AfD as far-right extremists. “Alice Weidel has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka. Does that sound like Hitler to you?” Musk wrote, attempting to deflect accusations of extremism by highlighting Weidel’s personal life.

Despite his defense, German intelligence agencies have classified the AfD as a potential extremism risk since 2021, citing its controversial rhetoric and ties to neo-Nazi sympathizers.

The Bigger Picture

While the AfD continues to surge in polls, Weidel’s bid to become Chancellor remains uncertain. She currently trails incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with her party holding roughly 20 percent in the polls, still a significant force in German politics despite doubts about their mainstream viability.

Musk’s willingness to engage with the far-right, both in Germany and elsewhere, raises critical questions about his political influence and the implications of his platforms on global political discourse. As of now, the billionaire has declined to clarify his comments regarding Hitler and his views on the AfD.