Alice Weidel, AfD co-leader, arriving at a public event in Germany.Trump Praises AfD as 'MGGA'; Merz Calls It Ethnic Cleansing
Intra-Party Split Detected
Mainstream left-leaning coverage (Axios) frames AfD's rise and Trump's praise as alarming echoes of Nazi-era nationalism, while The Nation offers a more structural/economic critique, partly attributing AfD's rise to Western sanctions policy on Russia and neoliberal economics rather than solely far-right extremism.
Left says
- •Trump's use of 'MGGA' echoes Nazi-era rhetoric that promised to restore German national greatness, a historically loaded framing given the country's efforts to reckon with its past.
- •AfD leaders have downplayed the Holocaust, called Germany's remembrance culture a 'guilt cult,' and used rhetoric that Jewish community leaders and intelligence agencies have flagged as extremist or antisemitic.
- •Trump's praise follows a pattern from his allies, including Elon Musk and JD Vance, of legitimizing a party that Germany's democratic institutions have deliberately isolated since World War II as a safeguard against extremism.
- •Economic hardship in eastern Germany tied to sanctions on Russia and neoliberal policy, not just immigration, deserves more attention as a driver of AfD's rise.
Right says
- •Trump's comments reflect support for a party voters have rewarded for opposing what he sees as failed immigration policy, and his message centers on Germany's decline rather than any historical reference.
- •Historians and critics argue Merz's 'ethnic cleansing' characterization of AfD's remigration policy is factually inaccurate, since deporting illegal migrants is a legal removal process, not a race-based expulsion.
- •Merz's rhetoric is seen as an overreaction from an establishment leader whose own party suffered a historic defeat, and his comments risk inflaming an already tense political climate rather than easing it.
- •AfD's historic result reflects genuine voter frustration with mainstream immigration policy, and dismissing that surge as merely extremist ignores legitimate democratic sentiment.
Common Take
High Consensus- AfD achieved a historic, record-breaking result in Saxony-Anhalt's state elections, nearing 44% of the vote.
- This marks the first time since World War II that a far-right party is positioned to lead a German state government.
- Trump's Truth Social post praising AfD as 'MGGA' prompted Merz to postpone a scheduled call with Trump.
- Both sides recognize immigration policy as a central issue driving AfD's political rise.
The Arguments
Left argues
Trump's use of 'MGGA' is historically loaded given that Nazi propaganda explicitly promised to restore German national greatness, and using it to celebrate a party German intelligence has flagged as extremist trivializes that history.
Right counters
Trump's comment centered on immigration policy and Germany's perceived decline, not any historical reference, and reading Nazi echoes into a common political phrase assumes bad intent rather than demonstrating it.
Right argues
Merz's charge that AfD's 'remigration' policy amounts to 'ethnic cleansing' conflates the legal deportation of people in the country illegally with race-based expulsion, a claim historians say is factually unsupported and inflammatory.
Left counters
AfD's rhetoric and leadership go beyond ordinary deportation policy, including downplaying the Holocaust and using language flagged by Jewish community leaders and intelligence agencies as extremist, which is the context Merz was responding to.
Right argues
AfD's historic 44% result in Saxony-Anhalt reflects genuine, widespread voter frustration with mainstream immigration policy, and dismissing that surge as merely extremist ignores a legitimate democratic verdict on failed governance.
Left counters
Acknowledging real economic and policy grievances doesn't require ignoring that AfD leaders have called Holocaust remembrance a 'guilt cult' and used rhetoric evoking Nazi-era chants, which is a separate and serious concern from the policy debate.
Left argues
Trump's praise fits a pattern with Musk and Vance actively working to legitimize a party Germany's democratic institutions have deliberately isolated since WWII as a safeguard against extremism, undermining a firewall built for historically specific reasons.
Right counters
Treating any foreign leader's support for a surging opposition party as illegitimate interference ignores that AfD's rise is a result of German voters' choices at the ballot box, not outside manipulation.
Left argues
The rise of AfD is driven significantly by economic hardship in eastern Germany tied to sanctions on Russia and neoliberal policy, meaning the immigration-centric explanation embraced by the right obscures deeper structural causes.
Right counters
Even if economic conditions play a role, voters themselves cite immigration as their central concern, and attributing their choice primarily to sanctions policy risks dismissing what AfD supporters say motivates them.
Challenge Questions
These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.
Right asks Left
“If the concern is that AfD's rhetoric echoes dangerous historical patterns, how does labeling a legal deportation policy 'ethnic cleansing' avoid the same charge of using inflammatory historical analogy to shut down a policy debate?”
Left asks Right
“If AfD's surge is framed purely as a rational response to immigration policy, how should voters weigh the party's own leaders downplaying the Holocaust and using language flagged by Jewish groups as antisemitic?”
Outlier Report
Left Fringe
Figures like Jean-Luc Mélenchon and outlets like The Nation emphasize NATO/Ukraine-war sanctions and neoliberalism as the 'real' cause of AfD's rise, a framing far outside mainstream U.S. Democratic discourse (roughly 10-15% of the left).
Right Fringe
Commentators like those at Breitbart and some MAGA-aligned voices (e.g., certain Elon Musk posts) go further than typical Republican voters by actively endorsing AfD as a model, a position likely held by only 15-20% of the right, with most conservatives simply skeptical of the 'ethnic cleansing' label rather than enthusiastic AfD boosters.
Noise Assessment
High — this story is largely elite/media-driven (Trump's Truth Social post, Merz's rhetorical response, historian fact-checks) and most ordinary Americans have not formed strong opinions on German state elections; online discourse is disproportionately amplified by partisan commentators compared to actual public engagement.
Sources (6)
<p>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> used a call to restore German greatness Tuesday to celebrate a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/06/afd-saxony-anhalt-germany-far-right-firewall" target="_blank">far-right party</a> that others have denounced as antisemitic.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/26/musk-germany-afd-party-past-guilt-holocaust" target="_blank">promoting</a> the AfD, or Alternative for Germany, comes as the nation's political mainstream has spent years keeping the party — which intelligence authorities has classified as <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/alternative-germany-afd-party-what-you-need-know" target="_blank">extremist</a> — out of power.</p><ul><li>The AfD won a record 44% in Saxony-Anhalt's elections, putting Germany within reach of its first far-right state government since World War II.</li></ul><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news: "</strong>Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night," Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social.</p><ul><li>He continued: "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!!!"</li><li>The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment, nor did it say what period of German history the president referred to when he used the acronym for "Make Germany Great Again."</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>National nostalgia in Germany is fraught because Nazi promises of renewed glory helped propel Adolf Hitler to power.</p><ul><li>Nazi propagandists sold their movement as one that would "restore national greatness and prosperity" and appealed to Germans yearning for national pride, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.</li><li>Chancellor Friedrich Merz <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/world/europe/germany-afd-saxony-anhalt.html" target="_blank">said</a> in July, "If a radical right-wing party came into a government in Germany, it would have a completely different meaning than if it happened in another" EU country, per The New York Times.</li></ul><p><strong>The latest: </strong>Merz postponed a planned Wednesday call with Trump hours after the president's post.</p><ul><li>Merz's spokesperson wouldn't say whether the two were connected, but told <a href="https://www.n-tv.de/ticker/Bundesregierung-verschiebt-geplantes-Gespraech-zwischen-Merz-und-Trump-id31287424.html" target="_blank">the AFP</a> the delay wasn't due to a scheduling conflict and pointed to the chancellor's objections to foreign leaders commenting on German politics.</li><li>On Wednesday, Merz <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/09/friedrich-merz-afd-far-right-accused-seeking-ethnic-cleansing-saxony-anhalt-election" target="_blank">likened</a> the AfD's "remigration" campaign to "ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin color."</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Germany rebuilt its democracy after Nazi rule with strong safeguards against extremism. But the AfD's breakthrough shows those barriers aren't stopping a far-right surge — and critics fear some leaders' rhetoric trivializes the past.</p><ul><li>AfD leaders challenge Germany's postwar culture of Holocaust remembrance, with leader Alice Weidel <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-election-afd-alice-weidel-doubles-down-holocaust-comments/" target="_blank">calling</a> it a "guilt cult." Former leader Alexander Gauland equated the Nazi era to a "speck of bird poop" in German history.</li><li>AfD's Saxony-Anhalt premier candidate Ulrich Siegmund <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-bremens-church-bell-recovered-after-heist/live-74834531#liveblog-post-74844321" target="_blank">wouldn't say</a> the Nazi era represented humanity's worst. Jewish leaders have criticized chants at his political events reminiscent of the Nazi "sieg heil." </li><li>Leaders have also been accused of making anti-Muslim <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/europe/afd-german-spy-agency-extremist-intl" target="_blank">comments</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Catch up quick: </strong>Trump's praise matches other efforts by his allies to challenge Germany's isolation of the AfD.</p><ul><li>Elon Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1869986946031988780?lang=en" target="_blank">boosted</a> the party as the only way to "save Germany." And Vice President <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/14/vance-munich-speech-free-speech-afd" target="_self">JD Vance</a> <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/14/jd-vance-afd-meeting-019130" target="_blank">met</a> with German leaders — including AfD's — last year and told the Munich Security Conference there was "no room for firewalls."</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, <a href="https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/politik/josef-schuster-persoenlich-entsetzt-ueber-wahlergebnis-in-sachsen-anhalt/" target="_blank">said</a> he feared what AfD's proposed changes to education policy would mean for the fight against antisemitism.</p><ul><li>A recent American Jewish Committee <a href="https://www.ajc.org/news/what-is-germanys-afd-and-what-does-its-rise-mean-for-jews" target="_blank">brief</a> said the party "frequently relies on conspiracy theories and coded language that echo longstanding antisemitic ideas."</li><li>Trump has called <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/14/trump-antisemitism-scapegoat-immigration-universities" target="_blank">rooting out antisemitism</a> a key goal of his university and immigration crackdowns.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/10/europe-leadership-crisis-starmer-macron-merz" target="_blank">Europe's leaders are deeply unpopular</a></p>
<p>German Chancellor Merz's meltdown continues, but respected historians warn claim AfD want to commit "ethnic cleansing" is factually wrong.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/09/10/remigration-not-ethnic-cleansing-say-academics-after-anti-afd-rant/" rel="nofollow">German Chancellor Claims Remigration Is ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Outburst After AfD Victory, then Gets Brutally Fact Checked</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.breitbart.com" rel="nofollow">Breitbart</a>.</p>
A recent election in Saxony-Anhalt shows the hard-right party has become a serious political alternative.
No election result is monocausal, and there are clearly many factors that have converged to make the AfD Germany's most popular party.
<p>Branko Marcetic</p> <div><img alt="" src="https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AfD_German_Flag.jpg" /></div> <div> <div class="wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek"> <p>No election result is monocausal, and there are clearly many factors that have converged to make the AfD Germany’s most popular party.</p> </div> </div> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/afd-germany-ukraine-war-backlash/">How the AfD Benefits Politically From the Ukraine War’s Backlash</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.thenation.com">The Nation</a>.</p>
<p>Paul Hockenos</p> <div><img alt="" src="https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/alice-weidel-afd-saxony-anhalt-election-getty.jpg" /></div> <div> <div class="wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek"> <p>The Alternative for Germany just shattered the political firewall meant to keep the party out. Now the country’s establishment is scrambling to stop the rise of the far right.</p> </div> </div> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/germany-afd-saxony-anhalt-election/">The German Far Right’s Shocking Victory in Saxony-Anhalt Is a Warning for Germany</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.thenation.com">The Nation</a>.</p>