Before the Munich Security Conference, Berlin’s concerns are growing over the repercussions of an expanding closeness between certain elements of the U.S. Republican Party and Germany’s AfD. Metin Hakverdi, the German government’s trans‑Atlantic coordinator, told Handelsblatt that “AfD representatives speak poorly of Germany in the United States, adopt anti‑European tendencies of the U.S. administration, and try to co‑opt themselves through cultural‑conflict topics and crude comparisons with domestic U.S. politics”.
Hakverdi urged dialogue, noting that he maintains close contacts with both Democrats and Republicans, including the MAGA camp. “This is in our country’s interest” he said. His goal is to explain German and European positions and correct misunderstandings. Many Republicans reportedly disagree with their president’s foreign‑policy stance but keep their criticisms private, yet they remain a significant “counter‑force” against certain White House developments.
Adis Ahmetovic, the SPD foreign‑policy spokesperson, also spoke to Handelsblatt, claiming that Trump and his inner circle foster “a dangerous closeness to the AfD – and vice‑versa”. To counter this, Germany and the EU must protect themselves. “It is no secret that Trump, the AfD, and their allies want to divide our continent and replace it with an authoritarian system” Ahmetovic warned. The federal government and ruling parties, he said, must therefore find new political partners in the United States while further strengthening existing liberal forces. The MAGA movement, according to Ahmetovic, is a “clear adversary”.