The leader of Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party said on Thursday she sees parallels between US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and her own party.
Speaking to dpa, Frauke Petry described Trump as “refreshingly different” and that he represents a “new style” similar to the AfD.
The AfD party’s double-digit success in German regional polls in March, only three years after it was founded, has underscored a lurch to the right in Europe amid sluggish economic growth, high unemployment and a mass influx of refugees into the region.
Petry said the Republican candidate is addressing several issues similar to those on the AfD’s agenda, “which the people welcome,” such as a loss of middle-class stability and deficits in education.
However the AfD chief said she wasn’t able to assess whether Trump also had solutions to all of these problems.
Both Trump and the AfD are known for their anti-Muslim stance. Trump has proposed stopping all Muslims from entering the United States, while the AfD recently came under fire for arguing that Islam was contrary to Germany’s constitution.
Trump has also proposed building a wall along the US-Mexico border, while the AfD has been sharply critical of Germany’s open-door policy to migrants fleeing Syria’s ongoing civil war.