Merz cancels phone call with Trump

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz canceled a planned phone call with United States President Donald Trump, in the wake of the far-right Alternative for Germany party's election victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt and following a social media post by the US president celebrating the win.

A spokesman for Chancellor Merz declined to give a reason for the cancellation and stressed it was not due to scheduling conflicts, Agence France-Presse reported.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump highlighted the AfD's success and cited "MGGA" — an apparent nod to an adapted version of Trump's slogan, "make Germany great again".

Trump wrote: "Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night. They finally got tired of the absolutely horrible immigration rules and regulations which have hurt Germany so badly. They are on the rise, and not going to take it anymore! MGGA!!! President DJT."

The AFP reported Merz's spokesman did not directly respond to Trump's comments and declined to say whether the two developments were linked, but noted that the chancellor has frequently objected "in general terms" to "interfering in or commenting on the domestic political situation, particularly regarding elections".

Relations between the two have been turbulent, with a public falling-out earlier this year after Merz said the US had been "humiliated" by Iran. The US withdrew its troops from Germany shortly afterward.

Beyond the White House, Merz is battling on multiple fronts after the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt victory — inside his own party and across the German electorate.

That fight moved into the Bundestag on Wednesday, when Merz sharpened the contrast he aims to draw with the far right.

Merz escalated his confrontation with AfD leader Alice Weidel, branding the party a "destructive force" and arguing its migration platform amounts to "ethnic cleansing" for skilled workers, Deutsche Welle News reported. The AfD has vowed a "deportation and remigration" offensive against irregular migrants.

In the Saxony-Anhalt election, the AfD captured nearly 44 percent of the vote and the chancellor's conservatives saw their support halved.

Weidel told lawmakers the result proved Merz's coalition with the center-left was a total failure and his time was up.

Merz countered that the AfD had undermined German interests by backing Russia and warned its "remigration" policy would affect millions. Merz said, "The word 'remigration' is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing by skin color and origin." He added that the immigration policy would impact the labor market hugely, saying, "Not a single care home could operate, not a single hospital, not a single restaurant."

Whether the AfD can govern in Saxony-Anhalt remains uncertain as it is three seats short of a majority, and no far-right party has governed any of Germany's 16 states since World War II.

jonathan@mail.chinadailyuk.com