Standing alongside Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, the AfD\u2019s other national leader, partly defended Trump for pursuing what he perceives to be American interests within the country\u2019s \u201csphere of influence.\u201d At the same time,\u00a0he also condemned the approach Trump was taking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWild West methods are to be rejected here, and the end does not always justify the means.\u201d<\/p>\n
By distancing themselves from Trump, the AfD leaders are following the path of Marine Le Pen\u2019s far-right National Rally in France, whose leaders, due to the American president\u2019s deep unpopularity there, have been far more critical of Trump and view his administration\u2019s overtures to European nationalists as a liability<\/a>. In response to Trump\u2019s stances on Greenland and Venezuela, for instance, National Rally President Jordan Bardella recently accused the American leader of harboring \u201cimperial ambitions.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The AfD\u2019s criticism this week, by contrast, was tepid; but even mild disapproval has been rare from the party\u2019s leaders. From the moment Trump began his second term, the German far right has seen American ideological backing \u2014\u00a0including from billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk<\/a> and U.S. Vice President JD Vance<\/a> \u2014 as key to boosting the party\u2019s domestic legitimacy<\/a> and breaking the \u201cfirewall\u201d that mainstream parties<\/a> have historically imposed to keep the AfD from power.<\/p>\n But the political risks inherent in the AfD\u2019s efforts to ally with Trump are also becoming clearer. Surveys show the vast majority of Germans strongly oppose what Trump has said about Greenland and what he has done in Venezuela. Only 12 percent of Germans view his performance positively, according to Germany\u2019s benchmark ARD-DeutschlandTrend poll<\/a> released last week, while only 15 percent see the U.S. as a trustworthy partner, a new low.<\/p>\n