AGI Profiles: Markus Frohnmaier

Thomas Protzman

Halle Foundation/AGI Intern

Thomas Protzman is a Halle Foundation research intern at AGI in fall 2024. He is pursuing a master's degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Human Rights and Global Governance at the Hertie School in Berlin and is currently on academic exchange at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He spent three years in Vienna, completing a teaching fellowship with Fulbright Austria. He earned his undergraduate degree in History from Denison University and studied for a semester at the Ruprecht-Karls Universität in Heidelberg, Germany. Additionally, he brings experience from his time as an intern for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. Thomas is committed to strengthening institutional ties and fostering collaborative leadership in the transatlantic sphere. He has a wide range of research interests, including climate change, populism, and institutional trust.

Member of the Bundestag; AfD State Chairman in Baden Württemberg

In January 2025, local Alternative for Germany (AfD) party members in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, placed fake Abschiebetickets—one-way deportation flight tickets—in the postboxes of residents without German last names, citizens included. Reminiscent of tactics used by German anti-Semites from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century, the act drew widespread criticism. Ironically, the State Chairman of the Baden-Württemberg AfD, Markus Frohnmaier, is himself a foreign-born German citizen; he and his twin sister were born on February 25, 1991, in Craiova, Romania. As infants, they were adopted by a Swabian couple and brought to Germany. Since making headlines in 2019 over leaked Russian documents alleging “total Kremlin control,” Frohnmaier has maintained connections to key international contacts and, albeit more quietly than before, continued his rise through the party’s ranks. Today, in addition to serving as State Chairman of the party in Baden-Württemberg, he sits on the Parliamentary Committees for Foreign Policy and Development in the Bundestag. His strategic positioning on such influential parliamentary committees raises questions about the possibilities of AfD politicians using their positions to form transnational ideological networks and the involvement of foreign entities in German politics. They warrant renewed scrutiny of his unique background and political career.

Entry into Politics

Frohnmaier became politically active at a time when the AfD was coalescing from a Euroskeptic protest movement into a fully-fledged right-wing populist force in German politics. Although he interned with the FDP as a teenager and was involved with the CDU/CSU alliances’ Junge Union organization at the age of 19, he joined the AfD early in its formation, drawn by its critique of the European Union’s centralized authority, immigration, and what he perceived as the failings of Germany’s established political elites. His involvement coincided with the party’s strategic shift toward harder stances on immigration, national identity, and social conservatism—stances that Frohnmaier would publicly embrace. After completing his primary education in Baden-Württemberg, he pursued higher education, studying political science and law at the University of Tübingen starting in 2011. For his right-wing views, he faced death threats and doxxing from fellow students, ultimately leading him to return to his parents in April 2016. It is unknown whether he graduated. In Tübingen, he developed and practiced a combative style of populist rhetoric, testing the boundaries of acceptability in order to deliver a stronger message.

A significant experience in Frohnmaier’s early political career was his ascent within the Junge Alternative (JA), the AfD’s soon-to-be former youth organization. Serving as its federal chairman from May 2015 to 2018, Frohnmaier played a key role in shaping the political direction and public image of the party’s younger generation. In 2015, he was an early signatory of Björn Höcke’s Erfurt Resolution that created Der Flügel (The Wing), the AfD’s now-defunct extremist faction. Frohnmaier’s political ascent within the party was also closely linked to his collaboration with Frauke Petry, the party’s former chairwoman. Petry appointed him as her press spokesman in May 2016, a role in which he became known for his assertive communication style. She affectionately referred to him as her “Kampfzwerg” (battle dwarf), highlighting both his stature and his combative approach to politics. Their collaboration was instrumental in steering the AfD toward a more hardline stance on immigration, tying it to national security. Working with Petry and JA, Frohnmaier strengthened ties with nationalist youth movements across Europe, an early foray into building transnational networks. Internal conflicts emerged within the AfD, leading to Petry’s high-profile departure from the party. This bolstered Frohnmaier’s visibility both within the party and in the public eye, establishing him as an influential bridge between the party’s youth base and its senior leadership. He continued to develop as a public speaker, and in 2016, Der Spiegel profiled him as “a young man who wants to become a populist,” who analyzed and engaged critically with his own rhetoric. Frohnmaier’s speeches exemplify academic definitions of populism, particularly through antagonistic re-politicization of issues that were once part of technocratic governance—such as immigration, EU relations, or foreign influence—and transforming them into sites of conflict that require “us versus them” distinctions. Tapping into fears and grievances, he blames various scapegoats for these issues, be it corrupt rival politicians, negligent federal government, or criminal refugees, whilst speaking on behalf of a German majority that wants to return to more nationalist policies.

Parliamentary Career and Controversies

In the 2017 federal election—when the AfD entered the Bundestag for the first time—Frohnmaier secured a seat through the Zweitstimme representing Baden-Württemberg. There, he joined the AfD’s parliamentary group, working closely with high-profile party figures including Alice Weidel, for whom he had previously served as press spokesperson. Like many far-right European populists, Frohnmaier has appropriated “anti-woke” rhetoric from American right-wing movements, stating for example that “Germany is infected with gender madness.” He has also rejected the “political correctness” of mainstream discourse, arguing that it stifles open debate on migration, Islam, and national heritage. Vocal in demanding stricter border controls and a more selective immigration policy, he has framed these measures as necessary to preserve Germany’s cultural identity and social order. Following the Nice terror attacks in 2016, he called for banning Muslims from entering Europe. Although he has much to say about domestic developments, his primary policy focus has been on foreign affairs issues like international development, along with a critical reassessment of Germany’s relationship with its allies and the European Union. Euroskepticism figures prominently in his rhetoric, as does opposition to EU policies that, in his view, undermine German sovereignty or impose economic burdens on German taxpayers; one of his clearest targets is foreign development aid money. He has called for ending EU sanctions on Russia and for modeling Germany’s international development policy on China’s Belt and Road initiative to ensure that Germany national interest always comes first.

Frohnmaier’s rise in prominence has been marked by controversy, and not just because of his inflammatory rhetoric. Media investigations and intelligence services have scrutinized allegations of foreign influence attempts involving the AfD lawmaker. In 2019, it was leaked that Russian documents identified Frohnmaier as a member of parliament who could be “absolutely controlled.” His image appeared in the header of a Washington Post column about Russian-influenced politicians in the Bundestag, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported that there were Russian plans to fund his initial campaign for Bundestag through Kremlin-funded organizations.

Russia’s geopolitical strategy has frequently involved fostering ideological polarization in European democracies, amplifying nationalist and Euroskeptic movements that undermine EU unity. Frohnmaier’s involvement with Russian networks suggests a role in advancing not just domestic political polarization, but European polarization as well—and he has done both. He has attacked Turkey on the Bundestag floor, claiming that over 6,000 Turkish agents are cooperating with Islamists in Germany. He has also publicly accused domestic rivals of wanting to open Germany’s borders, stating that every year another large city of immigrants comes to Germany. His critics have called for parliamentary investigations and resignations, and civil rights advocates accuse Frohnmaier of maintaining xenophobic and extreme nationalist views. His connections to right-wing extremist organizations like the Identitarian Movement, German Defense League, and the National Democratic Party have drawn considerable scrutiny, with civil society organizations and political opponents arguing that his hardline positions threaten Germany’s democratic ethos and social cohesion. Nevertheless, he has denied any wrongdoing or improper foreign ties, dismissing such allegations as politically motivated attempts to discredit him and the party. His supporters continue to praise his willingness to challenge what they see as an overly liberal political establishment and for advocating policies they believe better represent the interests of ordinary Germans.

Rising Influence

As a Romanian-born Swabian, married to a Russian pro-Kremlin journalist who hails from the Krojo-Saram ethnic minority, Frohnmaier’s personal life and politics are filled with contradictions—much like Alice Weidel, Elon Musk, or Ted Cruz, figures who, despite their own international lives and backgrounds, champion nationalist and exclusionary politics. Still a relatively young figure in the AfD, he symbolizes the party’s generational continuity—he may be the heir to the more radical elements that have found fertile ground in the wake of Europe’s migration debates and disillusionment with traditional parties. His presence on key committees is not just about influencing policy but also about legitimizing alternative geopolitical narratives, promoting relationships with actors like Russia, and pushing back against Western liberal democratic norms. His presence on key committees serves both to influence policy and to legitimize alternative geopolitical narratives, strengthen ties with actors like Russia, and challenge Western liberal democratic norms. His involvement in the AfD’s development policy, foreign relations, and transnational far-right networks demonstrates that he is making a concerted effort to reshape Germany’s parliamentary system, align it with illiberal forces, and challenge the country’s established political order.