US President Donald Trump congratulated Germany’s conservative leader Friedrich Merz on his party’s win in parliamentary election on Sunday. He pointed out how people in Germany got tired of the “no common sense agenda” as he slammed outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s regime.
Trump’s remarks came as the opposition conservatives won the German elections, with Merz set to become the next chancellor. Far-right AfD finished second after record gains in voting percentage.
In a post on social media, Trump did not mention either Merz or his party by name, but referred to the “Conservative Party In Germany” as he congratulated them for winning the elections. He argued the country’s shift to the right was a part of a political shift that Germany shared with the US.
“Looks like the conservative party in Germany has won the very big and highly anticipated election. Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration that has prevailed for so many years,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.
He called Friedrich Merz’s victory a “great day” for Germany and for the United States and expressed that “many more victories” are set to come.
“This is a great day for Germany, and for the United States Of America under the leadership of a gentleman named Donald J. Trump. Congratulations to all, many more victories to follow!!” he said.
However, Trump didn’t mention the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) favoured by influential advisor and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who had enthusiastically backed the AfD.
The Conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won the German elections, securing over 28% of the vote, while the far-right AfD finished second with over 20% of the votes. Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD suffered a historic blow as his party secured just 16% of votes. He conceded his defeat and called it a “bitter election result”.
Elections in Germany took place seven months earlier after Scholz’s coalition collapsed in November last year amid widespread anger among public over the economic situation of the country.