Overview
- On ZDF’s Markus Lanz, Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei defended the remark as highlighting irregular migration, while Tübingen’s Boris Palmer said the debate helped clarify issues but called the phrasing clumsy.
- Hannover’s Belit Onay and Ludwigshafen’s Jutta Steinruck faulted the wording as vague and divisive, reflecting wider pushback from mayors who stress local problems extend beyond migration.
- A Forsa survey reported a new high in dissatisfaction with Merz and the government, putting the AfD at 26 percent, one point ahead of the Union, and the SPD at 13 percent.
- Forsa’s analysis also indicated that many respondents view economic weakness, social cohesion and government performance as more pressing than the migration-focused dispute.
- Media reported Merz spent a long weekend on Mallorca playing golf during the controversy, and the chancellery declined to comment on the report.