The Daily Populous Friday January 3rd, 2025 evening edition
Authored by lemonde.fr and submitted by LeMonde_en

When Donald Trump led the United States from 2017 to 2021, the dread of his scapegoats was to open their Twitter accounts in the morning and discover a new tumble of insults, usually in capital letters and punctuated by exclamation marks, under which their day would be buried.

On the eve of the Republican's second term, which begins on January 20, things are a little different. Just a little: Twitter, bought by billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is no longer called Twitter, but X. Trump is back, after a long absence due to his exclusion from the social media platform after his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Today, it's Musk himself, a future member of the Trump administration, who takes to it with relish. The targets, however, have not changed: The leaders of the major European countries allied with the US, preferably social democrats, are at the top of the hunting list. Even before the presidential inauguration, the Trump year opened with an anti-democratic, anti-European offensive led by Musk.

The first Trump administration went after Chancellor Angela Merkel. Now, Musk has taken aim at her successor, Olaf Scholz, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, described as an "undemocratic tyrant." On Thursday, January 2, it was the turn of the British prime minister, Labour's Keir Starmer, to come under fire from the boss of X. Musk accused Starmer of having covered up a vast and sordid scandal of rapes of underage girls perpetrated by gangs of Pakistani immigrants in Great Britain.

Column Subscribers only '2025 will not be the year of democratic recovery'

There's one detail that plunges Musk observers into an abyss of perplexity: His X account once again bears the name Elon Musk, after having been renamed, for the space of a New Year's Eve, "Kekius Maximus," illustrated by an armored frog. The more erudite recognized Pepe the Frog, ex-symbol of the American far right; others wondered about the mental age of the space and electric vehicle genius; financial specialists, meanwhile, noted that the value of the cryptocurrency of the same name, Kekius Maximus, gained 60% in one hour and enabled savvy individuals to reap $2.3 million (€2.2 million) in the process.

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hillsfar on January 3rd, 2025 at 17:38 UTC »

English text of Elon Musk’s opinion article in Die Welt, that was translated into German:

——-

This is the article in English that Elon submitted that was translated and published in German.

Only the AfD Can Save Germany

Germany stands at a critical juncture, its future teetering on the edge of economic and cultural collapse. As someone who has invested significantly in Germany's industrial and technological landscape, I believe I have earned the right to speak candidly about its political direction.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) represents the last vestige of hope for this nation. Here's why:

Economic Revival:

Germany's economy, once the powerhouse of Europe, is now mired in bureaucracy and stifling regulations. The AfD understands that economic freedom is not just desirable but necessary. Their approach to reducing government overreach, cutting taxes, and deregulating the market echoes the principles that have made Tesla and SpaceX successful. If Germany is to reclaim its industrial might, it needs a party that will not just talk about growth but enact policies to foster an environment where businesses can thrive without the heavy hand of government.

Immigration and National Identity:

Germany has opened its borders to mass migration, which, while humanitarian in intent, has led to significant cultural and social tensions. The AfD advocates for a controlled immigration policy that prioritizes integration and the preservation of German culture and security. This is not about xenophobia but about ensuring that Germany does not lose its identity in the quest for globalism. A nation must maintain its core values and cultural heritage to remain strong and united.

Energy and Independence:

The energy policies pushed by current coalitions are not only economically costly but also geopolitically naive. Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power and rely heavily on coal and imported gas, plus highly variable wind and solar without the necessary grid-scale batteries to provide stability, has left it vulnerable, especially in light of energy supply disruptions. The AfD's stance on energy is pragmatic, advocating for a balanced approach. I hope they consider doubling down on safe nuclear power, together with battery energy storage to buffer large swings in electricity usage, as that is the obvious solution.

Political Realism:

The traditional parties have failed Germany. Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and a dilution of national identity. The AfD, despite being labeled far-right, offers a political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel their concerns are ignored by the establishment. They address the issues at hand without the political correctness that often masks the truth.

The description of AfD as far-right is made obviously false simply by noting that Alice Weidel, the party leader has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please.

Innovation and the Future:

I've built companies on the principle that innovation requires freedom from unnecessary constraints. The AfD's vision aligns with this ethos. They push for educational reforms that encourage critical thinking over indoctrination and support tech industries which are the future of global economic leadership.

To those who decry the AfD as extremist, I say, look beyond the labels. Look at the policies, the economic plans, and the cultural preservation efforts. Germany needs a party that isn't afraid to challenge the status quo, that isn't bogged down by the politics of the past.

The AfD can save Germany from becoming a shadow of its former self. It can steer the country towards a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity, and technological innovation are not just aspirations but realities. Germany has been too comfortable with mediocrity; it's time for bold changes, and the AfD is the only party offering that path.

Elon Musk

petepro on January 3rd, 2025 at 14:57 UTC »

France wanted to sell warship to Russia, and German continued Nordstream 2 even after Crimea. I remember all that, so Europe should stop pretending Trump somehow harm trans-Atlantic relationship.

DrKaasBaas on January 3rd, 2025 at 14:20 UTC »

Now that Trump has been reelected we in Europe need to very seriously consider our geopolitical situaiton. After the events of the secod world war and the cold war Europeans started to believe and invest in a world order based on multilateralism; creating economic interdependences and fostering cooperation through institutions centered around human rights like the UN and the EU in the hopes that this would lead to stability. This even went so far as that we accepted smaller standing armies withouth a strategic nuclear deterrent in exchange for being under the US security blanket (i.e. NATO). While people these days call Europeans freeloaders for this, it in fact required a great deal of trust and sacrifices in terms of indepedendent foreign policy. But with people like Trump in charge EU can no longer afford this anymore. We need an independent credible army to protect our own interests and so we can come to a bilateral understanidng with Russia based on stregnth and common interests, but independent of the US. We also need closer ties with China/India.