German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is stonewalling President Donald Trump after the U.S. leader celebrated the victory of a party the chancellor claims is promoting “ethnic cleansing.”

Merz publicly confronted the Alternative for Deutschland in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, just days after the right-wing party won a whopping 44% of the vote in the state election of Saxony-Anhalt — blowing away Merz’s party, which secured just 17%. AfD is running a campaign centrally focused on expelling illegal immigrants from the country.

Recommended Stories

Friedrich Merz wins on second ballot to become German chancellor after historic first round defeat

AfD persists through German officials’ attempts to quash rising popularity

German chancellor ends asylum for Syrian refugees and warns of deportations