Exclusive: Leaked trove reveals extent of far-right AfD’s efforts to court Trump and Maga allies
A massive data leak from Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has exposed extensive efforts to cultivate relationships with Donald Trump and other MAGA allies over the past decade.
The trove of over 420,000 emails, documents and personnel records obtained by transparency organization Distributed Denial of Secrets reveals the AfD's calculated efforts to build ties with Trump and his movement. Senior party officials agonized over the wording of congratulatory messages after Trump's 2016 election, with one telegram wishing that his hopes as a person be fulfilled.
The AfD has grown significantly since its foundation in 2013, particularly after Germany accepted 1.2 million refugees in 2015-2016. The party entered parliament in 2017 with 12.6% of the vote, came second in the February 2025 federal election with 20.8%, and now leads national polls at about 30%. In September, it won 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt, attempting to form Germany's first far-right state government since World War II.
MGGA!!!
Telegram Controversy
The leaked documents show AfD figures praised Trump before his 2016 election, with then-leader Frauke Petry calling him a refreshingly alternative proposition. After his victory, the party scrambled to send an ingratiating telegram, with 11 of 13 board members approving the message. Current leader Alice Weidel replied Yes:-) to the proposal.
The telegram, sent on November 11, 2016, told Trump: We are confident that you will readjust the transatlantic relationship and end the wars in Syria and Ukraine by mutual agreement with Russia. A second message for the inauguration included a request to remove the enemy-state clause from the UN charter, which German right-wingers view as a limitation on sovereignty.
You don't address the president as Mr Trump, he is Mr President. Otherwise a bit wordy and flowery. I stand by it: the enemy-state clause doesn't belong in this letter at all. You don't do that in a letter of congratulation. It looks like a begging letter.
Extremism Scrutiny
Germany's domestic intelligence agency monitors the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization, with five regional branches classified as confirmed extremist. The party's Thuringia leader, Björn Höcke, was convicted in 2024 of knowingly using a slogan from the Nazi party's paramilitary wing.
AfD politicians attended a meeting where a mass-deportation masterplan was discussed. The party's 2025 election program calls for lifting sanctions on Russia and repairing the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Nearly all other German parties maintain a firewall against governing with the AfD.
The leaked communications also reveal connections between AfD figures and Trump allies. Co-leader Alice Weidel developed a political courtship with Trump ideologue Steve Bannon, while deputy Markus Frohnmaier faced scrutiny over alleged ties to Russian interests, though he denied any foreign control.
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