Fears, fatal scenarios, conspiracy theories - this is the elixir for the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD). When it became clear on election night that the far-right party had scored a historic victory, but with its 20.8 percent remained in second place after the conservatives, its voters were quick to fill social networks with comments such as “Election fraud!”, “Good night, Germany!”, “The last salvation is Trump”.
AfD supporters seem to be overcome by the thought of the impending catastrophe. For them, Germany, the third largest economy in the world, is on the brink of the abyss. And for years, even decades. It seems that millions of people share these fears and vote for “Alternative for Germany”. To change something, they want Germany to come first - following the example of Donald Trump for America.
Trump, AfD and conspiracy theories
Jürgen Elseser also insists on this. He is an ardent supporter of the American president and an equally ardent conspiracy theorist. Elseser was a left-wing extremist, today he is a media entrepreneur and an influential assistant to the AfD in the election campaign. On election night, his staff at “Compact-TV” were the first to receive interviews from the party leaders. His publishing house “Compact” is currently facing a ban procedure in the Federal Administrative Court.
The accusation: “Compact” distributes content that is “anti-Semitic, racist, hostile to minorities, revisionist towards history and linked to conspiracy theories”, as the Federal Ministry of the Interior states. The AfD's leading candidate, Alice Weidel, called the ban request “a serious blow to freedom of speech”.
Elseser himself appeared in person on his television show on election night. He loves days like this: everything is dynamic, everything is unclear, the ground for speculation is fertile. In his show, Elseser criticized Germans - that too few of them voted for the AfD. “I see a suicidal tendency among most Germans”, he said. His program has almost 400,000 followers.
If Elseser is to be believed, the war will reach Germany, and the blame for this will lie with the future Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "A war on two fronts is looming, which will be started by Mr. Merz," assured Elseser. According to him, the CDU politician will confront Russia and the United States simultaneously. "The last person who tried to do this was Adolf Hitler." Merz and Hitler. Catastrophe. Germany incinerated. There is nowhere else to go.
Elseser: "Germany must be occupied"
Elseser, however, has a solution for Germany: "We probably need a temporary occupation by the United States and Russia." Former AfD MP Armin-Paul Hampel supported him, stating that the so-called enemy state clause from World War II is still applicable. It allows the former winners of World War II, Russia and the United States, to "intervene in Germany politically and militarily without a UN Security Council resolution if they are convinced that political relations are becoming unstable". The presidents of the United States and Russia - Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - are presented as the saviors of the German nation. This is how the modern radical right sees things.
And even if Germany in the real world is not on the brink of a precipice, does not want a war on two fronts and all these conspiracy theories are ridiculous, they can have an impact on the real world. As the Bundestag elections showed, many people in Germany are afraid and concerned about the future. They are worried about wars and crises.
The day after the elections, the leading candidate and co-chair of the "Alternative for Germany" Alice Weidel added to the picture: "Germany must maintain good contacts with our partners the USA, Russia and China". Based on his new connections with the Trump administration, his adviser Elon Musk and Vice President J.D. Vance, Weidel pointed out: “They see us as partners in negotiations on the international stage”.
In fact, the AfD will not be able to play a major role in politics in the future, because no one in Germany wants to form a coalition with it because of its radicalism. But foreign policy pressure from within could become a challenge for the future chancellor, political scientist Boris Voormann told DW. “The Trump administration has no interest in a strong Europe. It seems to believe that support for radical nationalists weakens the European Union.”
The Radical Right: Common Values and Common Enemies
The AfD in the Bundestag could thus become a tool for the Trump administration to undermine trust in the government. The basis for this is ideological proximity, notes Woermann. "They share ideas about what is wrong in society - for example, the rejection of woke culture (the movement that fights against social injustice), as well as support for the traditional family and conservative values."
In addition, both Donald Trump and the AfD have a certain admiration for Vladimir Putin. Björn Höcke, one of the most influential politicians in the AfD, said the following about Putin's Russia in January 2023: "Today, this is a country that evokes not only negative associations, but also hope for a world with free and sovereign states without hegemonic influence."
For the AfD, it does not matter that Putin is waging a bloody offensive war in Ukraine, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands. Nor does it matter that under Trump's leadership, the US has begun to liquidate the rule of law. With its ideological proximity to the two presidents, the AfD also wants to rise to the level of a higher state authority. If conflicts between Europe and the US or Russia escalate, the party could also profile itself as an alternative in foreign policy terms.
The AfD has one main goal: it wants to become the largest political force in Germany, it wants to put pressure on the conservatives and overtake them. On election night, Alice Weidel already looked ahead to the next elections in 2029 with the words: "Then they will entrust us with the government."
Author: Hans Pfeiffer