Trump Highlights AfD’s Sweeping German State Election Victory Without Saying a Word

Donald Trump drew attention to the AfD’s historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt with a post that contained no words at all. On Sunday, he shared a graphic of the state election results on Truth Social, effectively highlighting the party’s sweeping performance without adding a comment.

The AfD won 43.8% of the vote, its strongest result ever in a German state, more than doubling its previous strength. It secured 39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats, leaving it three seats short of an outright majority. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats followed far behind with 17.2%, losing roughly half their previous support. Turnout reached 77.8%.

The result ended 24 years of CDU rule in Saxony-Anhalt and created a serious political test for Merz. Yet the AfD’s electoral dominance does not provide an easy route to power. The other parties have so far ruled out working with it, preserving the Brandmauer, or “firewall,” that Germany’s established parties maintain against the far right. The state now faces a complicated process of forming a government.

Saxony-Anhalt’s AfD branch has been classified by the domestic intelligence authority as a confirmed far-right extremist organization. The party rejects that assessment and says it is politically motivated.

Trump’s post also revived memories of US Vice President J.D. Vance’s intervention before Germany’s 2025 federal election. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Vance criticized the practice of excluding parties such as the AfD from governing coalitions. German officials viewed the speech as a direct challenge to the firewall, and it prompted strong reactions during a sensitive campaign period.