Graphic floats mockingly depicting US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have sparked a massive debate online as people discuss the satirical move.
As Germany begins to celebrate carnival season, people around the world were brought to the attention of a few particular floats in Cologne and Düsseldorf this week.
It is safe to say none of the floats painted Donald Trump, Elon Musk or Vladimir Putin in the most flattering light.
The floats were designed to be satirical and showed caricature versions of the individuals while also making rather bold statements.
One float showed Musk wearing a diaper with the logo of the German far-right political group Alternative for Germany (AfD) as he fled from a person trying to put him in a straight jacket.
He is also seen shouting into a megaphone with the Twitter logo on it that is spewing out poo all the while, waving an American flag cut out in the Nazi symbol.
Most have concluded the message isn’t intended to be subtle.
Trump and Putin are also depicted in a float, referencing the ongoing tension between Trump and Ukraine. Putin and Trump are shown shaking bloodied hands with a small Volodymyr Zelenskyy being squeezed in the middle.
The float also read ‘Hitler-Stalin Pact 2.0’, in reference to the non-aggression treaty signed between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in 1939.
Many have taken to social media to comment on the flurry of floats, especially the one of Musk, and things have certainly started to heat up.
Some have praised the boldness of the display with one user writing: “Elon Musk performed a “roman” salute, called Hitler a communist, and endorsed a far-right party in Germany—yet his fanboys are outraged because a Düsseldorf carnival float depicted him next to a swastika? The irony is almost painful.”
Another said: “Those Düsseldorf floats roasting Trump, Putin, and Musk are pure gold! Germany’s carnival satire nails the absurdity of these leaders. Cheers to calling out their chaos with creativity!”
However, others dismissed the move as out of touch and ridiculous.
One person not amused said: “It’s wild how quickly things escalate. Art and satire have always pushed boundaries, but this level of political commentary seems pretty intense.
“Everyone’s got their own views, but it’s important to keep conversations respectful and grounded in facts.”
With another adding: “Imagine how obsessed and threatened they must be by Elon? This whole thing and he lives in another country.”
