Germany Tells Trump to Back Off — Then Retreats from Spying on Conservative Party
In a stunning diplomatic dust-up, newly installed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told former U.S. President Donald Trump to “stay out” of Germany’s internal affairs—only to backtrack hours later on one of the very policies drawing global criticism.
The controversy stems from Germany’s formal classification of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a “proven right-wing extremist organization”—a move that grants German intelligence agencies broad powers to surveil the country’s second-most popular political party.
Merz defended the decision while rebuking America:
“I would like to encourage the American government … to largely stay out of German domestic politics,” Merz told The Guardian, slamming what he called “absurd observations” coming from the U.S.
He added that Germany must be able to “clearly distinguish between extremist parties and parties of the political center.” What Merz didn’t mention is that he was reportedly rooting for a Kamala Harris victory in the 2024 U.S. election, raising eyebrows over his supposed neutrality.
Marco Rubio Slams Germany’s Crackdown
The dispute escalated when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a pointed rebuke on X:
“Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.”
Rubio emphasized that the AfD isn’t the threat—it’s the deadly open-border policies of the establishment that have triggered national backlash and empowered AfD’s surge in popularity.
German Foreign Office Defends Itself — But the Pressure Mounts
Germany’s Foreign Office attempted to spin the issue as a measure to “protect democracy” and prevent the resurgence of extremism, insisting that independent courts would oversee the final outcomes.
“This is democracy… We’ve learned from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped.”
But critics argue that labeling political opponents as extremists and authorizing secret surveillance undermines the very democratic values Germany claims to defend.
Merz Forced to Walk It Back
Amid mounting international pressure, Chancellor Merz and German authorities were forced to backtrack later in the day on their surveillance strategy against AfD. While the official designation remains, certain surveillance tactics are reportedly on pause pending further review.
This dramatic reversal underscores the geopolitical tension over civil liberties, state overreach, and the growing populist movement across Europe—one that global elites are struggling to suppress.
Bottom Line: Germany tried to lecture Trump and punish its political opposition in one breath—and got caught in a democratic backslide the world couldn’t ignore.