Key facts
- Donald Trump stated that Germany's far-right AfD party won a state election due to "horrible" immigration rules.
- The AfD achieved its highest-ever percentage in a state election, securing 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt.
- This victory places the AfD in a position to potentially gain power at the state level for the first time since World War II.
- Elon Musk celebrated the AfD's win, calling it a "huge win" and reposting a message from AfD co-leader Alice Weidel.
- AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund publicly thanked Elon Musk for his support and expressed a desire for future cooperation.
U.S. President Donald Trump attributed the victory of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a state election to "horrible" immigration rules and regulations. The AfD surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, securing 43.8% of the vote and marking the strongest result for a far-right party in Germany since the end of World War II.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the party "finally got tired of the absolutely horrible Immigration rules and regulations which have hurt Germany so badly." The AfD's win puts a far-right party within reach of power at the state level for the first time since World War Two.
The MAGA movement and its allies have celebrated the AfD's victory. Elon Musk reposted a message from AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, stating "Well done!" and later thanked Musk for his "support" and "clear and highly important perspective." Musk had previously stated, "Only AfD can save Germany."
Former U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell also celebrated the results, claiming people are "ready to change." The AfD's campaign explicitly borrowed from the Trump playbook, using slogans similar to "Make Germany Great Again" and employing anti-immigration, anti-woke, ultra-nationalistic, Islamophobic, and Euro-sceptic rhetoric.