Merz Cancels Trump Call, Accuses AfD of "Ethnic Cleansing" After Win

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cancelled a planned phone call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, hours after Trump publicly celebrated the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party's recent regional election win in Saxony-Anhalt.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, hailed a really big night for the AfD, attributing their success to public dissatisfaction with absolutely horrible Immigration rules and regulations. He used the abbreviation "MGGA," an apparent reference to make Germany great again. Merz's spokesperson declined to state the reason for the cancellation but confirmed it was not due to scheduling conflicts.

Merz accused the AfD of seeking ethnic cleansing with its remigration drive. Speaking at a parliamentary debate, Merz stated that the term remigration is nothing but a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour. Merz argued that if the AfD's policy were implemented, millions of working immigrants would have to leave, impacting essential services like care homes, hospitals, and restaurants.

The AfD won 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt's state elections on Sunday, making it the strongest showing for a far-right party in a German state since the Nazi period. The AfD, classified as rightwing extremist by German domestic intelligence, fell three seats short of an outright majority. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel stated that voters showed Merz's coalition was a failure and his time was up.

The AfD's Ulrich Siegmund, a lead candidate, has promised deportations (of illegal immigrants) from the first minute. AfD lawmaker Bernd Baumann stated that by remigration, the AfD means the consistent deportation (in accordance with the law) of all foreigners required to leave the country; nothing else. Merz also accused the Moscow-friendly AfD of contributing to Russian efforts to destabilise Germany.