Trump praises AfD's Saxony-Anhalt election win, sparking backlash in Berlin
US President Donald Trump's public praise for Germany's far-right AfD after its historic win in the Saxony-Anhalt state election has drawn criticism in Berlin. AfD took 43.8 percent of the vote, edging closer to forming Germany's first far-right state government since World War II.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored a historic victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sept. 6, winning 43.8 percent of the vote — more than double its result from 2021. The outcome grants AfD 39 of the state parliament's 83 seats, just three short of an outright majority, raising the possibility of Germany's first far-right state government since World War II.
US President Donald Trump publicly congratulated AfD on the result, a move that has triggered backlash among German politicians. Despite extensive ties between AfD and the Trump administration, the party's leaders had previously tried to keep some distance from Washington, wary that Trump's unpopularity in Germany could hurt them at the ballot box.
Criticism in Berlin
Dirk Wiese, chief whip of the center-left Social Democrats in the Bundestag — coalition partners of Chancellor Friedrich Merz — called Trump's remarks unacceptable, saying the federal government cannot tolerate such comments.
AfD's platform
The party campaigns on a sharply restrictive immigration policy alongside a nationalist, socially conservative agenda. It opposes further military support for Ukraine, calls for lifting sanctions on Russia, and favors closer ties with Moscow.
