Musk Strikes Merkel 'Below the Belt,' According to German Media
Elon Musk has responded to criticism from the former German chancellor, referring to her as Angela 'Merkin.' Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Elon Musk has directed a pointed remark at former German Chancellor Angela Merkel following her criticism of his influence in politics and space, which Bild has characterized as a “below the belt” insult.
“Who is this Angela Merkin person?” Musk wrote on X in response to her comments.
The term "merkin" refers to an artificial hairpiece that was historically used to cover the pubic area, and Musk's use of it seems intentional; he previously warned his followers against searching for the term back in 2019, indicating it was not safe for work.
Merkel, who served as Germany's chancellor from 2005 to 2021, has recently released a memoir that became available in German bookstores on Tuesday. During an interview promoting her book over the weekend, she voiced concerns about Musk's Starlink initiative.
“If a person like him [Musk] owns 60% of all satellites orbiting in space, then that has to be a huge concern for us in addition to the political issues,” Merkel stated in her conversation with Der Spiegel on Friday.
Musk's SpaceX runs Starlink, which boasts a fleet of over 6,000 satellites. Among its key clients is Ukraine, which utilizes Starlink for military communications.
Although Musk's tweet surfaced on Sunday, it gained attention from German media only on Tuesday. Bild labeled it a “below the belt” jab, while Der Spiegel refrained from similar descriptions but used the situation to promote both the Merkel interview and another piece highlighting Musk, who was described as “Public enemy number two.”
“It is questionable whether Musk read the entire interview,” the German tabloid remarked. “At least he took note of one of the Spiegel articles about him.”
This isn’t the first occasion Musk has made derogatory comments about German politicians. On November 7, following the collapse of the ruling ‘traffic light’ coalition, he referred to Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a “fool.” Three days later, he used the same term for Economy Minister Robert Habeck, after Habeck suggested that EU laws should govern the algorithms used by social media platforms.
Additionally, Musk, the world's richest man, has emerged as a prominent advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, assisting in his re-election efforts. He is expected to co-lead the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, with a mandate to reduce the size of American bureaucracy.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
“Who is this Angela Merkin person?” Musk wrote on X in response to her comments.
The term "merkin" refers to an artificial hairpiece that was historically used to cover the pubic area, and Musk's use of it seems intentional; he previously warned his followers against searching for the term back in 2019, indicating it was not safe for work.
Merkel, who served as Germany's chancellor from 2005 to 2021, has recently released a memoir that became available in German bookstores on Tuesday. During an interview promoting her book over the weekend, she voiced concerns about Musk's Starlink initiative.
“If a person like him [Musk] owns 60% of all satellites orbiting in space, then that has to be a huge concern for us in addition to the political issues,” Merkel stated in her conversation with Der Spiegel on Friday.
Musk's SpaceX runs Starlink, which boasts a fleet of over 6,000 satellites. Among its key clients is Ukraine, which utilizes Starlink for military communications.
Although Musk's tweet surfaced on Sunday, it gained attention from German media only on Tuesday. Bild labeled it a “below the belt” jab, while Der Spiegel refrained from similar descriptions but used the situation to promote both the Merkel interview and another piece highlighting Musk, who was described as “Public enemy number two.”
“It is questionable whether Musk read the entire interview,” the German tabloid remarked. “At least he took note of one of the Spiegel articles about him.”
This isn’t the first occasion Musk has made derogatory comments about German politicians. On November 7, following the collapse of the ruling ‘traffic light’ coalition, he referred to Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a “fool.” Three days later, he used the same term for Economy Minister Robert Habeck, after Habeck suggested that EU laws should govern the algorithms used by social media platforms.
Additionally, Musk, the world's richest man, has emerged as a prominent advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, assisting in his re-election efforts. He is expected to co-lead the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, with a mandate to reduce the size of American bureaucracy.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
