Europe will monitor Musk's interview with AfD leader in order to accuse him of electoral interference

After engaging in the presidential election, Elon Musk decided to involve himself in elections worldwide, including in Germany. The world’s richest man did not hesitate to show his support for the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and its candidate, Alice Weidel, whom he is set to interview this Thursday.

Musk’s decision to publicly endorse has shaken Europe, including Germany. Europe's top leaders, who have been devising strategies to counter the tycoon’s influence for months, have now decided to closely monitor Thursday’s conversation."

According to Politico, around 150 European Commission (EC) officials, technology specialists, will be monitoring Musk’s interview with Weidel to determine if he is breaking any laws. Specifically, regulators will focus on whether the tycoon is engaging in electoral interference.

However, they will also ensure that Musk does not violate any technology regulations set by the European Union (EU). If necessary, the European Commission could visit X's offices to verify compliance with Brussels’ measures. If violations are found, both the tycoon and his company could face fines. 

Europe against Musk: A history of threats, accusations and investigations

In October 2022, Musk completed the purchase of Twitter and one of his first actions was to rename it X. He also decided to end fact-checking—a move recently imitated by Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Platforms—among other initiatives. Upon acquiring the social network, Musk became the target of criticism and scrutiny from the EU, which began threatening and investigating him for allegedly violating certain regulations.

One year after taking control, Musk received threats from the EU for allegedly allowing disinformation to spread on X regarding the October 7 attacks carried out by the Hamas terrorist group against Israel.

Two months later, Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, announced that he would open an investigation into X for failing to comply with its obligations regarding the fight against illegal content and disinformation.

In 2024, the European Commission launched another attack against X and Musk, accusing them of misleading users with the account verification system. In response, the tycoon claimed that the agency had offered him an illegal agreement to silently censor users, an agreement he refused to sign.

In August 2024, in a case similar to the Weidel interview, the European Commission warned Musk not to violate European regulations during his dialogue with Donald Trump.