Europe is prepared to respond "within an hour" if the United States levies tariffs against the European Union, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a pre-election debate with his conservative challenger Friedrich Merz.

In a video address to an AfD event last weekend, Musk told Germans they should “move on” from “past guilt.” This call, in line with AfD messaging that Germany’s culture of remembering the crimes it committed during the Nazi era is detrimental to the country, sparked outrage in Germany and beyond.