Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday issued a strong rebuke to Washington, warning the U.S. government against interfering in Germany’s internal affairs, particularly in the context of rising tensions over the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
“I would like to embolden and encourage the American government to let domestic politics in Germany be domestic politics and to largely stay out of these partisan considerations,” Merz said in an interview with the public broadcaster ZDF. He emphasized that he has never interfered in a U.S. election and expects the same respect in return.
Merz also revealed he plans to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, a leader he has not yet met personally, but with whom he intends to speak “openly.”
Merz criticized the U.S. government for spreading what he called “absurd views of the Federal Republic of Germany,” and condemned American support for the AfD, including a public interview by Elon Musk with AfD leader Alice Weidel. He expressed hope that Washington could distinguish between extremist parties and mainstream political forces, pushing back against recent U.S. criticism over Berlin’s classification of the AfD as right-wing extremist.
