you're creating a straw man, I never said there was *no*influence, and you never responded to the question of German agency. It's not balck-and-white. I'm up for a good discussion where we can legitimately disagree, but I'm not going to bite on personal insults. Good luck to you. Over and out.

Easy, cowboy, no need to get personal. Left doubled their share, BSW got 5%. Populists on the left. You're going to black-and-white. Never said the US had zero influence. You're the one taking agency away from German voters and giving it to the US. There may have been influence, but not decisive.

Listen I hate Musk and Trump as much as the next guy but they’re not all-powerful in other countries.

Domestic issues, not US influence

Economic downturn, large parties who are unattractive and don’t even try to represent large swathes of the population, excessive migration, fear of war, high cost of living, terrible candidates from CDU, SPD and Greens, massive social media disinformation, and a lack of political education in youth

I do indeed. Do you? It was you who called it the Musk Effect.

I don’t believe Musk was the reason, there are democrats in Germany without it being resistance to Musk.