Washington: Lenka White – With Donald Trump being at the helm of the United States, Germany gets a chance to develop more independent policies and “grow up,” lawmaker from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Kay Gottschalk, told RIA Novosti.
“I think it will accelerate the process to become more independent, in a way, from the protection of the United States,” Gottschalk said when asked about Trump’s reelection. “That doesn’t mean we aren’t friends anymore, or we will stop our friendship. No, the friendship will be very, very close, but I would compare it with children growing up.”
After 70 years, it is time for Germany to be more independent and speak up for own interests in front of countries such as Russia and others, the politician stated.
“Another one is to become also … more independent from China,” Gottschalk added, noting that this process was also started by Trump during his first term.
AfD is going against the current German mainstream, with anti-immigration policies and a stance that military aid to Ukraine should be ended and parties should nail down a diplomatic solution.
Germans will vote in a snap federal election on February 23. The latest INSA poll put the CDU/CSU bloc at 29%, AfD at 22%, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats at 17%.
