German election winner vows 'real independence' from US

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's center-right Christian Democrats, who finished first in Sunday's election, has vowed “real independence from the USA" as he sets about forming a coalition government, Reuters reported on Sunday.

Merz, who is poised to be the next chancellor of the European power, said his “absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can achieve real independence from the USA, step by step," Reuters reported.

On Sunday, Merz and his conservatives secured first place with about 28.5 percent of the vote, followed by the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, with about 20.5 percent, according to exit polls. The Social Democrats, party of the incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, dropped to 16 percent.

The AfD, who were cheered on by Elon Musk and Vice President Vance, increased their representation in parliament, but don't have the power to force themselves into the governing coalition.

CNN reported that Merz on Sunday criticized “intervention” from the U.S. during Germany's campaign season.

“The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow,” Merz said, per the outlet. “We are under such massive pressure from two sides that my top priority is to create unity in Europe.”

Last week, Vance met with an AfD leader, Alice Weidel. The two met via Munich Security Conference sidelines, according to an official with the vice president’s office. The official also said that Vance had meetings with every leader of major German political parties.

Musk, who has become a powerful force in Trump's foreign policy circle, hosted Weidel for a conversation on his social media platform, and promoted the party in many posts leading up to the election.

Vance’s meeting with Wiedel followed a speech from the vice president in Munich in which he accused leaders in Europe of censoring free speech and slammed them for putting populist parties in the margins.

“To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind Soviet-era words like ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way or, even worse, win an election,” Vance said in Munich.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment on Merz's remarks.