BERLIN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The German government has postponed a scheduled telephone conversation between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.S. President Donald Trump, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said on Wednesday.
The phone call had been planned for Wednesday. Kornelius did not provide specific reasons for the postponement and a new date has not yet been set.
When asked whether the delay was linked to Trump's recent remarks regarding the state election victory of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt, the spokesperson declined to comment directly.
After the state parliament election in Saxony-Anhalt last Sunday, Trump celebrated the success of the AfD, which secured a record 43.8 percent of the vote, making it the strongest force in the state parliament. Meanwhile, the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered a heavy blow, with its share of the vote plummeting to 17.4 percent from 37.1 percent in the last election in 2021.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that "the Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night," adding that "they finally got tired of the absolutely horrible immigration rules and regulations which have hurt Germany so badly." ■