Leaked Emails Expose Decade-Long AfD Courtship of Trump and MAGA Allies

Key points

• The leak, provided by DDoSecrets, contains over 420,000 emails from the AfD’s 2013 founding to the present, with most predating 2019.
• In 2016, AfD leader Frauke Petry sent a congratulatory telegram to Trump, explicitly asking him to support removing the UN 'enemy state' clauses, which the party views as a sovereignty limitation.
• In 2018, co-leader Alice Weidel met Steve Bannon in Zurich, arranged via a Texas digital firm, though the party later distanced itself from him publicly.
• Recent contacts include meetings between AfD figures and US State Department officials, including a 2025 meeting with acting under-secretary Darren Beattie, who was previously fired for associating with white nationalists.
• The AfD’s rise is linked to anti-immigration sentiment post-2015; it now leads national polls at 30% and won 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt, prompting Trump’s public praise.

Background

This leak follows the AfD’s recent electoral surge, including a 20.8% vote share in the 2025 federal election and a 43.8% victory in Saxony-Anhalt, which could lead to Germany’s first far-right state government since WWII. German intelligence agencies monitor the AfD as a suspected extremist organization, and five regional branches are classified as confirmed extremists. Recent archive coverage notes a growing rift between European far-right parties and Trump, with some leaders distancing themselves due to his erratic foreign policy, yet the leaked documents suggest the AfD maintained persistent diplomatic outreach regardless of shifting US political winds.

How outlets are covering it

The Guardian emphasizes the strategic and ideological alignment between the AfD and US MAGA figures, highlighting specific requests for policy favors and personal connections with Bannon and State Department officials. Heise online focuses on the technical and legal aspects of the breach, noting that the attackers claimed the AfD’s fragmented IT security facilitated the hack and that the data includes sensitive personal information of third parties. The AfD itself disputes the significance of the leak, stating that only a few dormant mailboxes were compromised, while acknowledging the authenticity of the published material. The contrast lies in the Guardian’s focus on political strategy versus Heise’s focus on cybersecurity failures and data privacy concerns.

Why it matters

The leak reveals the extent of transatlantic coordination between Germany’s leading far-right party and US political figures, challenging the notion that the AfD operates in isolation. It exposes potential vulnerabilities in German political security and raises questions about the influence of US actors on European domestic politics. The documents also highlight the AfD’s willingness to engage with controversial figures, such as Bannon and officials with extremist associations, despite German intelligence warnings and mainstream political opposition.

What to watch

The AfD has reported the breach to the Berlin data protection authority and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The party is likely to face increased scrutiny over its IT security practices and the authenticity of the leaked documents. German political opponents may use the leak to reinforce the 'firewall' against the AfD, while the party may attempt to minimize the impact by emphasizing the dormancy of the affected mailboxes. The leak could also influence future US-German diplomatic interactions, particularly regarding the AfD’s role in German politics and its foreign policy positions.