A data leak from Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has unveiled the party's extensive efforts to court Donald Trump and other prominent figures in the MAGA movement, dating back over a decade. The leaked documents illustrate the lengths the AfD went to in order to align themselves with Trump, whom they viewed as a potential ally from the outset.
Early Engagement with Trump
Following Trump’s election in 2016, senior AfD officials deliberated over the wording of a congratulatory telegram, expressing hopes that his "hopes as a person be fulfilled." The AfD emerged as a stronghold for anti-immigration voters after 1.2 million refugees arrived in Germany in 2015 and 2016. The party entered the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, in 2017 with 12.6% of the vote and has since gained significant traction, leading national polls at around 30%.
In September, the AfD secured 43.8% of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, aiming to establish Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II. Trump celebrated this victory on his Truth Social platform, ending his message with a German version of his slogan, “MGGA!!!”
Monitoring and Extremism
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency monitors the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization, with five of its regional branches classified as confirmed extremists. The party’s leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, was convicted in 2024 for using a slogan associated with the SA, the Nazi party’s paramilitary wing. The AfD has also been linked to discussions about a mass-deportation "masterplan."
