Trump hails AfD's record win in German state election

US President Donald Trump praised Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after it secured a record result in a state election, attributing its rise to opposition to the country’s immigration policies.

“Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night,” Trump said Tuesday in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“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!!!” he added, using an abbreviation for “Make Germany Great Again.”

The AfD won 43.8% of the vote in Sunday’s election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, its strongest showing in any German state election, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) fell to 17.2%.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD’s regional branch as a proven right-wing extremist organization, saying parts of the party promote a racist, ethnic understanding of national identity that is incompatible with the country’s democratic constitutional order. Mainstream parties have cited that assessment in maintaining a refusal to govern with the AfD.