He is a close ally of conservative U.S. President Donald Trump and has, much to the ire of Scholz, spent the past few weeks boosting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of a national snap election on Feb. 23. The AfD is currently riding high in polls ahead of the vote.

I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and large financial resources is so directly involved in the internal affairs of other countries,” said Norway's prime minister Monday.

The Tesla billionaire has left Germany furious after suggesting they need to get over their past guilt about the Nazis.