Overview
- The 46-member district council voted down the motion on Wednesday, with support limited to the seven AfD councilors.
- The AfD argued for the honor based on Donald Trump’s ancestral link to Kallstadt through his grandfather Friedrich Trump, who emigrated in 1885.
- District chief Hans-Ulrich Ihlenfeld of the CDU criticized the AfD for seeking a bespoke statute and a rapid decision that would bypass substantive debate.
- Ihlenfeld said he received numerous letters from residents mostly opposing the honor and questioning whether such distinctions should go to people who served the district.
- He also challenged AfD claims that Trump ended multiple wars and resolved the Gaza conflict, and noted disputes over whether Trump embraces his Palatinate heritage.