German opposition leader adopts Trump’s MAGA slogan

Alice Weidel, co-chair of the Alternative for Germany party, is calling to ‘Make Europe Great Again’

Alice Weidel, a co-leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has apparently adopted US President-elect Donald Trump’s MAGA (‘Make America Great Again’) slogan, but for her own continent. The politician has called to ‘Make Europe Great Again’ in a post on X on Wednesday.

Weidel was responding to a post drawing parallels between her party’s program and policies advocated by Trump and his close adviser, US-based tech billionaire Elon Musk. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO, who also owns X, has previously endorsed AfD on his platform and interviewed Weidel last week.

During that interview, the German politician described AfD as a “libertarian conservative party” that is seeking to reduce bureaucracy and “free the people from the state.” Musk also repeatedly stated that “only AfD can save Germany” ahead of the 2025 snap parliamentary election in the EU nation scheduled for late February.

The early vote was announced following the collapse of a three-party coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and a subsequent vote of no confidence in his remaining minority government in December.

MEGA - Make Europe Great Again! 🚀 https://t.co/Sj2fffnj70

— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) January 15, 2025

Musk also interviewed Donald Trump last year to back his presidential bid. The Republican candidate then won the vote in November.

The ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) slogan was popularized by Trump during his first successful election campaign in 2016 and then used by him again in 2024. The MAGA acronym is also often used to describe his supporters and political base.

READ MORE: Merkel ‘ruined’ Germany, Ukraine conflict, ‘Hitlerian’ censorship: Key points from Musk’s talk with AfD leader

The tech billionaire’s interview with Weidel last week drew some controversy in Germany. Over 60 German universities and research institutes announced their departure from X, citing the supposedly “increasing radicalization” on the site. Two labor unions and the top federal court have also departed from the platform.

The German Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces (the Bundeswehr) followed suit on Wednesday by announcing that they will no longer make any posts on the platform, claiming that X makes it “difficult to have a factual exchange.”