One of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign advisers and wife of his son Eric, Lara Trump, has blasted Angela Merkel’s admitting migrants into her country as "one of the worst things that ever happened to Germany" and "the downfall of Germany". The topic came up as she was discussing her father-in-law’s migration policy with Fox Business host Stuart Varney. He brought up the influx of asylum seekers in Europe while talking with Mrs Trump about the migrant caravan from Latin America, which is on its way to the US border and which was also recently raided by Mexican immigration authorities.
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According to Lara Trump, the incumbent US president is trying to prevent an American version of “one of the worst things that ever happened to Germany” from happening in his home country. According to her, Congress needs to do “the right thing for the American people”.
However, Lara Trump's referring to the migrant situation in Germany as “one of the worst things” in the country’s history received a sarcastic and sceptical response on Twitter.
Under the open door policy proclaimed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany became one of the countries most affected by the migrant crisis in Europe, which erupted in 2015. The country accepted hundreds of thousands of migrants, although over the years the influx of newcomers has dropped.
The refugee policy has become one of the most controversial topics for her government amid reports about crimes committed by refugees and asylum seekers, as well as debate over funding the welfare system that supports migrants. Last year, a Leipzig University study on authoritarian trends revealed that almost a quarter of respondents in Germany had a negative attitude towards migrants. 36 percent of those asked agreed that foreigners only come to Germany in order to take advantage of the welfare state, while over a quarter of those polled would send foreigners back to their home countries if employment opportunities became scarcer.
Moreover, 56 percent supported the statement that they feel like strangers in their own country due to the influx of Muslims.