The election of Donald Trump could help mitigate anti-American views across Europe, the Treasurer of the populist right-wing anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party told CNBC.
One of the main stumbling blocks to a trade deal between the EU and the U.S. has been popular skepticism to deeper ties with a America, mainly among the German electorate. However, Frank Hansel told CNBC, such feelings could dissipate with the victory of Donald Trump.
"The Germans are very skeptical around TTIP (trade deal between the EU and the U.S.) and CETA (trade deal between the EU and Canada)," Hansel told CNBC on Thursday.
"I think due to the fact that America has a new leader maybe the latent anti-Americanism that there is in some parts of the German population, in the right end of the extremism left or the extremism right, maybe Donald Trump can change this mistrust," he said.
Hansel added that the relationship between both sides of the Atlantic needs to improve. "We have to change a little bit the climate regarding the United States of America in Europe and I think the election of Trump helps to relax the situation."
President s currently on his last trip overseas before leaving office. Speaking Thursday in Berlin, Obama said the German chancellor was his "closest international partner". Together they wrote on a German magazine that "there will be no return to a world before globalization" and supported TTIP negotiations – something that President-elect Trump has said to be against.
Hansel welcomed Trump's victory, saying it showed "the establishment that change is possible." His party hopes to be as successful in the upcoming German election.
AfD has seen growing support in state elections and is currently placing third in opinion polls. According to pollytix, a Germany-based research company, the AfD would obtain 12.1 percent of the vote if the federal election had taken place Wednesday. Merkel's CDU would win with 32.9 percent, followed by the Socialist SPD with a 22.6 percent share.
"We are already the third party in the polls…The problem is the media, the media has told the Germans that our party is right wing or extremism populist, or whatever you call it, I think the same media-bashing that America experienced with Donald Trump we are facing," Hansel told CNBC.