Merz cancels Trump call after US president welcomes German far-right success

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cancelled a scheduled phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, hours after the latter publicly praised the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party following its strong performance in a regional election.

The German government did not provide a specific explanation for the decision, with Merz’s spokesperson merely stating that the postponement was not caused by a change in the chancellor’s schedule, Caliber.Az reports citing German media.

While the spokesperson declined to comment directly on whether Trump's remarks had influenced the decision to postpone the call, he did stress that Merz has repeatedly opposed foreign interference in Germany’s domestic political affairs, particularly during elections.

Trump had publicly welcomed the AfD’s strong voting results in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election, attributing its success to what he described as Germany’s “horrible” immigration policies. The AfD won around 44% of the vote, while Merz’s CDU suffered a major setback.

The dispute comes as relations between Washington and Berlin face broader tensions over issues including migration, trade and support for Ukraine.

Shortly following the regional elections, the German chancellor clashed with the AfD party Leader Alice Weidel in a parliament, calling her the party a "destructive force" with a migration policy that amounts to "ethnic cleansing" for skilled workers.

By Nazrin Sadigova