Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), held talks at the White House this week, Politico reports, signalling closer links between the party and the Trump administration after Vice President JD Vance backed the AfD earlier this year.
Von Storch was joined by Joachim Paul, an AfD politician running for mayor in Ludwigshafen who was controversially struck from the ballot amid legal disputes. AfD officials say his case highlights shrinking political freedoms in Germany.
The two met senior officials from the National Security Council, State Department, and Vance’s office, though not the vice president himself. U.S. representatives expressed concern about limits on free speech and electoral participation, AfD officials said.
The visit follows Vance’s criticism of Germany’s “firewall” policy excluding the AfD from coalitions, which he says undermines democracy. Von Storch and Paul remain in Washington for further meetings, including at the State Department.
