Musk Rallies the Far Right in Europe. Tesla Is Paying the Price
Musk's promotion of Germany's far-right party, Alternative fur Deutschland, had little impact on election results, despite his efforts to amplify its figures through 2 dozen posts on X and an interview with its leader. The AfD's stunning second-place result in the February 23 election suggests that Musk's support may have been more symbolic than substantive. Despite this, Tesla is already feeling the effects of Musk's politics, with European sales tumbling 45% in January from a year earlier.
- The extent to which Musk's far-right activism has influenced his business decisions, such as prioritizing regulatory relief over customer needs, remains unclear and warrants closer examination.
- Can Tesla recover its lost sales momentum by distancing itself from Musk's divisive rhetoric and refocusing on the products that drove its initial success?