Trump Administration’s Embrace of Far-Right German Party Is Dangerous for Democracy and Jewish Safety

During his recent trip to the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance met with the leader of the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), and gave a speech lecturing European leaders for shunning and allegedly censoring far-right political parties across the continent. Senior administration official Elon Musk has also publicly embraced the far-right party, speaking at their rally last month and calling for Germany to “move beyond” “focus on past guilt” over the Holocaust, following his apparent Nazi salute and Holocaust jokes.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, released the following statement:

“This administration’s normalization of AfD — a far-right, anti-immigrant, extremist party that has called Holocaust remembrance a ‘guilt cult’ — fundamentally threatens the safety of Jews, countless other communities, and democracy around the globe.

Yet the embrace of AfD is sadly unsurprising, as it aligns with the flurry of policies coming out of the White House targeting immigrants, communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and our basic democratic norms and institutions.

“History has made clear that our safety as Jews is inextricably linked with inclusive, pluralistic democracy. The Trump Administration’s embrace of extreme right policies at home and extreme right political movements abroad – including a German party that openly trivializes the Holocaust and rejects its lessons – is deeply dangerous for the global Jewish community.”

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