Germany’s far-right seeks to convert Trump power into vote gains
It is a pivotal moment for Germany's far-right AfD ahead of national elections Sunday. The party is polling at 21% — likely enough for second place.
KARLSRUHE, Germany — Shouting so loudly he barely needed a microphone, Martin Hess had an unyielding message for opponents of Alternative for Germany, the party beloved by Elon Musk and surveilled by German intelligence for suspected far-right extremism.
“We will not let anybody or anything stop us!” said Hess, an ex-policeman turned lawmaker with the AfD, as it is more commonly known.
Hess, 54, a suited, stocky man with drill-sergeant hair and a brawny neck, was speaking Wednesday at “Deutschland Zuerst!” — or “Germany First!” — a rally in the western city of Karlsruhe.
It is a pivotal moment for the AfD ahead of Germany’s national election Sunday. The barely decade-old party is polling at 21% — double the last vote of 2021 and likely enough for second place.
This is part of a far-right surge sweeping Europe, where hard-line nationalists have already cultivated ties with President Donald Trump’s White House. Musk and Vice President JD Vance have both endorsed the AfD, with Musk speaking at a recent rally via video conference, and one of its leaders attended Trump’s inauguration.
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