AMNA NAWAZ: The man poised to become Germany's next chancellor accused President Trump of being indifferent to Europe's plight and blasted Washington's interference in his nation's general election yesterday.

Friedrich Merz has begun work to forge a governing coalition, having ruled out working alongside a far right party supported by the Trump administration.

From Berlin, special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

MALCOLM BRABANT: Germans went to work this morning in a country that was radically different from the one they inhabited just 24 hours ago.

Not only had Germany taken a giant stride to the right, but it had also elected a chancellor who's a straight talker and isn't shy about telling America what he really thinks.

FRIEDRICH MERZ, German Chancellor-Elect (through translator): For me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that step by step we can really achieve independence from the USA.

I never thought I would have to say something like that on a TV program, but after Donald Trump's latest comments in the last week, it's clear the Americans, or at least this group of Americans, this government cares very little about the fate of Europe.

MALCOLM BRABANT: And Merz laid into the Trump administration for Elon Musk's strident support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany Party.

FRIEDRICH MERZ (through translator): I have no illusions about what is happening in America.

Just look at recent events, including leaving Elon Musk's interventions in the German election campaign.

This is unprecedented.

The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and brazen than those we have seen from Moscow.

We are under massive pressure from both sides, and my absolute priority now is to establish unity in Europe.

MALCOLM BRABANT: Germany's new chancellor is a man in a hurry.

He wants to establish a stable coalition as quickly as possible.

His priorities are security, the economy and migration.

He says that he's confident of being able to do a deal with the outgoing Social Democrats.

He says Germany needs a government that can act because the world isn't going to wait.

But Lars Klingbeil, the joint leader of the social Democrats, is far more relaxed.

LARS KLINGBEIL, Co-Leader, Social Democratic Party (through translator): Whether a government is formed, whether the SPD joins a government is not certain.

These are decisions that will be made in the coming weeks and months.

MALCOLM BRABANT: At the far right of Germany's political spectrum, Alice Weidel, the leader of the anti-immigrant AfD, was jubilant at becoming the second most popular party.

ALICE WEIDEL, Leader, AfD Party (through translator): We are the people's party.

We are stable, the second strongest party in Germany.

We are on the rise.

MALCOLM BRABANT: But she accused the new chancellor of betraying the wishes of the German electorate.

ALICE WEIDEL (through translator): Voters want a center-right government, and it is ultimately up to the CDU whether they want to implement this.

At the moment, it doesn't look like they will.

Friedrich Merz has decided to stick to his stance of blocking the AfD.

We consider this blockade to be undemocratic.

MALCOLM BRABANT: Even though the AfD will not be part of the government, public relations consultant Mizgin Aslan fears their influence.

MIZGIN ASLAN, Public Relations Consultant: My prime concern is that it leads to an increasing normalization of far right and racist ideologies.

And, unfortunately, the other parties, by jumping on this debate of the so-called migration crisis, also contributes to this normalization of this ideology, and thereby also contribute to an increasing atmosphere of hate and distrust vis-a-vis people that don't look stereotypical German.

MALCOLM BRABANT: Merz wants to reassure people like Mizgin that, by being tough on migration, he will reduce support for the AfD at the next election.

But that means more controls in places like Frankfurt Oder on the Polish border.

Such checks violate the European Union principle of freedom of movement between member states.

But, right now, Germany's domestic priorities come first.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Malcolm Brabant in Berlin.