ThecentreCZ via Wikimedia Commons and Gage Skidmore via Flickr
The AfD’s New Transatlantic Network
Tracking the AfD’s Engagement with the United States
As the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained support domestically— exemplified by 20.8 percent of the vote in the 2025 Bundestag election—they have also sought to expand their international networks. Their contact with other right-wing movements, parties, and media figures allows them to develop and amplify far-right messaging; the AfD has also used such efforts as a legitimizing force for their policies at home. Especially following Donald Trump’s inauguration as the forty-seventh president, the AfD’s visits to the United States and engagement with the administration and wider MAGA movement have intensified. Such international networking with the United States is reshaping transatlantic relations, even building a new alternative transatlantic relationship with profound potential policy impacts. To better understand these networks, AGI is following AfD politicians’ professional visits to the United States and with U.S. officials—many of which are little known, barely announced in advance, and not organized through the normal channels.
AfD Delegation Visits Washington, DC, and New York, December 2025
Before he was awarded the Allen W. Dulles Award by the New York Young Republican Club, Markus Frohnmaier led a delegation of AfD politicians to Washington, DC. Frohnmaier met with Reps. Anna Luna and Tim Burchett, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, and Senior Bureau Official at the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Darren Beattie. AfD Member of the Bundestag Anna Rathert joined him in the meeting with the members of Congress. About twenty AfD representatives attended the NYYRC gala in New York, including Micha Fehre, Udo Hemmelgarn, Jan Nolte, Anna Rathert, Martin Reichardt, Jan Wenzel Schmidt, Alexander Wolf, and Diana Zimmer.
Anna Rathert Visits Washington, DC, October 29, 2025
Member of the Bundestag Anna Rathert met with Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna about “shared priorities and the importance of defending freedom and democratic principles on both sides of the Atlantic.” Rep. Luna announced that she was looking forward to hosting the AfD again in Washington in December.
Trump Advisor Alex Bruesewitz Speaks at AfD Meeting in Berlin, November 5, 2025
Alex Bruesewitz, an advisor to a Trump-affiliated political action committee Never Surrender, gave a talk entitled “The Global Battle for Truth – How Conservatives Can Regain Interpretive Authority” in the Bundestag in November 2025.
Jan Wenzel Schmidt and Kay Gottschalk are Featured at New York Young Republican Club Event, October 2, 2025
The New York Young Republican Club held a “Drinks with AfD” reception with parliamentarians Jan Wenzel Schmidt and Kay Gottschalk. The event invitation characterized the party as having “worked tirelessly under a decade of government persecution to liberate the German people, save German demographics, and return tradition to the German Volk.” The reception gained public attention when a tenor sang the taboo verse of the German national anthem closely associated with National Socialism.
Markus Frohnmaier Visits Washington, DC, September 2025
Markus Frohnmaier, deputy chair of the AfD in the Bundestag, visited Washington September 29-30, 2025. With fellow Member of the Bundestag Jan Wenzel Schmidt, he met with acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Darren Beattie to discuss the transatlantic relationship as well as “shared priorities on cultural exchange and migration.” Frohnmaier spoke to Georgetown University’s College Republicans on “The Ascending Right in the West.”
Beatrix von Storch Visits Washington, DC, September 2025
On September 15, Politico reported that Beatrix von Storch held a meeting at the White House with officials from the National Security Council, Department of State, and the Office of the Vice President. Their discussions focused on “democratic participation and election procedures in Germany.” Joachim Paul, an AfD politician who had been disqualified from a mayoral race in Rhineland-Palitinate because of anti-democratic activity, joined von Storch as an example of perceived exclusion of right-wing ideas in German democracy.
Tino Chrupalla and Beatrix von Storch Attend Presidential Inauguration, January 20, 2025
AfD national co-leader Tino Chrupalla and deputy leader Beatrix von Storch were in Washington, DC, for the inauguration of Donald Trump. In a statement before the inauguration, Chrupalla said, “Attending the inauguration of President Donald Trump shows once again that we are implementing our interest-led policies.” He had been invited to attend the inauguration before it was moved inside the Capitol due to extreme cold temperatures. Chrupalla told the German press he had met with business leaders, members of Congress, and diplomats during the trip; von Storch met Donald Trump Jr. and advisor Steve Bannon.
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