Hours after winning the Bundestag’s second‑round vote to become Germany’s 10th post‑war chancellor, 69‑year‑old Friedrich Merz drew an unexpected line in the transatlantic sand. Speaking to public broadcaster ZDF, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader urged the United States “to largely stay out of German domestic politics,” a rebuke triggered by a cascade of overt support for the far‑right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) from figures close to President Donald Trump.
Merz, a long‑time Atlanticist and former corporate lawyer in New York, said Washington had traditionally distinguished “between extremist parties and parties of the political centre” and should continue to do so. The new chancellor added that he would speak with Trump by phone on Thursday, but underlined that Berlin—not foreign capitals—must decide how to police extremist threats at home.
An Election Tainted by Foreign Endorsements
The reprimand follows February’s national election, where Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance finished first with 31 percent of the vote, edging out the AfD, which posted a record 20.4 percent. The far‑right party’s surge was fuelled in part by highly visible endorsements from U.S. conservatives: technology billionaire Elon Musk appeared by video at an AfD rally in Halle, praising the group as “the best hope for the future of Germany” and urging voters to “move beyond guilt” over the Nazi past.
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Musk’s support was quickly amplified by Vice‑President JD Vance, who accused Germany’s political establishment of rebuilding “a Berlin Wall” to keep populists out of power. On social media platform X, Vance hailed the AfD as a “democratic corrective” against “out‑of‑touch elites,” echoing rhetoric that energised Trump’s 2024 re‑election bid.
From Musk to Rubio: A Chorus of Criticism
The most combustible remarks came after Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) formally classified the AfD as “right‑wing extremist” on 30 April. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted the decision on X as “tyranny in disguise,” calling on Berlin to reverse course and accusing the government of criminalising dissent.
Berlin’s Foreign Ministry issued a rare public rebuke, stressing the designation followed “a thorough and independent investigation” and that “independent courts will have the final say.” The ministry’s statement noted that post‑war Germany has “learnt from history that right‑wing extremism needs to be stopped.”
Merz’s warning on Tuesday was clearly aimed at quelling what many Germans view as unprecedented U.S. interference. “I did not interfere in the American election campaign,” he reminded viewers, referencing his neutrality during Trump’s 2024 race. “I would like to encourage the American government to do the same for us.”
Domestic Stakes: A Far‑Right Challenge at Home
For Merz, containing the AfD is both a moral imperative and a governing necessity. The new chancellor leads a fragile coalition that relies on the centre‑left Social Democrats and the pro‑business Free Democrats for a slim majority of 325 seats. Parliamentary arithmetic means any significant desertion could open the door for the AfD to block legislation or demand fresh elections.
The BfV’s extremist label allows German security agencies to employ enhanced surveillance measures—wiretaps, informants, and financial monitoring—against AfD officials. Party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla denounce the ruling as politically motivated, while opinion polls suggest the label has barely dented the AfD’s core support, especially in the former East German states where the party won pluralities in February.
Merz’s Tightrope: Atlantic Partnerships vs. National Autonomy
Merz’s balancing act is delicate. A committed transatlanticist who once chaired Atlantik‑Brücke, Germany’s oldest friendship lobby with the U.S., he built his campaign on promises to rebuild ties frayed under former chancellor Olaf Scholz. Yet his first major foreign‑policy message was a rebuttal to Trump‑world critics. “We have no interest in a public feud with our most important ally,” says Constanze Stelzenmüller of Brookings. “But Merz cannot appear weak against a party many Germans associate with conspiracy theories and xenophobia.”
The chancellor’s aides insist the phone call with Trump will focus on areas of convergence—NATO burden sharing, collective pressure on Russia and China, and a possible transatlantic green‑tech partnership—rather than the AfD spat. Still, Merz must manage a U.S. administration whose senior figures publicly champion his main domestic adversary.
Historical Lessons and Legal Precedents
Analysts note striking historical resonance: Germany’s Basic Law empowers the state to defend “freiheitliche demokratische Grundordnung”—the free democratic order—by banning parties that threaten it. The far‑right Socialist Reich Party (SRP) was outlawed in 1952; the Communist Party of Germany followed in 1956. Post‑war allies, notably the U.S., supported those bans as bulwarks against authoritarian revival. Today, some Germans perceive American officials undermining the very safeguards Washington once championed.
Jörg Goldhagen, a constitutional lawyer at Humboldt University, argues that Rubio’s accusations “misconstrue German jurisprudence.” The BfV classification does not dissolve the AfD; it merely unlocks investigative tools subject to judicial oversight. “Calling that tyranny trivialises real repression,” Goldhagen says.
Transatlantic Tensions Ripple Through Europe
European partners are watching closely. French President Marine Le Pen, who narrowly lost her 2027 re‑election bid after shifting to the centre, telephoned Merz to express “solidarity against foreign meddling.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, grappling with his own ultranationalist opposition, warned that American validation of far‑right parties could ripple across the continent.
NATO diplomats worry that a public brawl might derail efforts to finalise long‑promised German defence spending hikes. Merz’s coalition agreement pledges a €500 billion infrastructure and defence fund financed partly by a suspended debt brake, but internal CDU conservatives resist, and U.S. pressure could amplify those voices. WSJ
Elon Musk’s Role: Free‑Speech Icon or Political Agitator?
The billionaire owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and the social‑media giant X is no stranger to controversy, but German officials were stunned by his January appearance at an AfD rally. Musk’s remarks urging Germans to “be proud” of their heritage were interpreted as an appeal to nationalist sentiment. Protesters in Halle chanted “Musk raus!” (Musk out) while police made 42 arrests.
Musk’s businesses employ over 20,000 people in Germany, mainly at Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin‑Brandenburg. Company insiders say the government’s Faraday battery‑subsidy scheme—worth €1.2 billion—will proceed despite political tensions, but union leaders fear a consumer backlash.
JD Vance and the New Populist International
Vice‑President Vance’s comments about a “new Berlin Wall” fit a broader GOP posture that frames European centrist parties as repressive elites and far‑right movements as democratic insurgents. The rhetoric dovetails with Trump’s campaign narratives and the Make Europe Great Again caucus in the European parliament, which includes AfD MEPs and France’s National Rally.
German diplomats worry that this transatlantic populist axis, if emboldened, could splinter EU unity on issues from migration to Ukraine war funding. “We cannot allow Berlin to become a stage for U.S. culture‑war exports,” says SPD foreign‑affairs spokesperson Nils Schmid.
What Comes Next: Dialogue, Surveillance and Statecraft
Merz’s Thursday call with Trump will be a mood‑setter. Officials in Berlin say the chancellor will outline a two‑track approach: renewed cooperation on security and trade, paired with an insistence that U.S. politicians refrain from campaigning inside Germany. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry will issue guidelines to regional police detailing how to apply enhanced surveillance powers against AfD figures while safeguarding civil liberties.
Legal scholars predict the AfD will challenge the extremist designation in federal court within weeks, a process that could take a year. If judges uphold the BfV’s findings, the next step could be a constitutional‑court inquiry into whether the party should be partially defunded, a move last used in the 1990s against neo‑Nazi splinter groups.
Conclusion: Guardrails for a Fraught Partnership
Friedrich Merz took office vowing to restore Germany’s leadership in Europe and its credibility with Washington. Instead, his first day underscored how German politics now sits at the fulcrum of an international ideological struggle. By telling the U.S. to “stay out,” Merz risks friction with an indispensable ally but also signals that Berlin will not tolerate external boosts to extremist forces. Whether that stance bolsters his domestic authority or provokes further populist backlash may define both his chancellorship and the future contours of the transatlantic alliance.
