# AfD Data Leak Exposes Decade of Ties to Trump and MAGA Movement

> A cyberattack on Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in September 2026 led to the online publication of over 421,000 internal emails, revealing a long-standing strategy to cultivate alliances with Donald Trump and the 'Make America Great Again' movement.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-23T11:37:03.684332Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/afd-data-leak-exposes-decade-of-ties-to-trump-and-maga-movement-19741b0e

Over 421,000 internal emails from Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party were published online following a cyberattack in September 2026, detailing the party's decade-long efforts to forge connections with Donald Trump and the 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) movement [5][7][8][12][13]. This leak, amounting to 281 gigabytes of data, includes sensitive documents such as bank statements, academic certificates, and membership records [5][6][7][20].

This trove of internal communications reveals how a prominent European far-right party has systematically sought to align itself with a powerful political movement in the United States, showing the transnational nature of these ideological currents.

## What the records show
The leaked data reportedly contains AI-generated summaries of messages that include references to racism, antisemitism, and Nazi-era ideology, with examples such as a "Hitler-Wallfahrt" (Hitler pilgrimage) and Christmas cards featuring swastikas [6][13][22]. Emails belonging to high-profile AfD figures, including co-leader Alice Weidel and co-founder Alexander Gauland, were among those compromised [7][8]. The AfD confirmed the cyberattack, stating that a hosting service provider was targeted and a small number of email accounts, mostly inactive for years, were illegally copied [6][7][8][20]. The party announced it is investigating the published material, though the full authenticity of the dataset is still undergoing independent verification [6][13]. Some journalists have found corroborating details [13]. The website initially hosting the leaked data went offline by October 20, 2026 [6][20].

## The timeline
The AfD's strategic outreach to Trump and his allies began shortly after his 2016 U.S. presidential election victory [10]. Senior AfD officials engaged in internal discussions to craft a congratulatory telegram that included a personal wish for Trump's "hopes as a person be fulfilled" [11].

In July 2022, AfD parliamentary leader Alice Weidel met with Steve Bannon, a former chief strategist for Donald Trump and a key figure in the MAGA movement, in Zurich [1][4]. Their discussion focused on political communication and alternative media strategies [1].

Further high-level engagement occurred in February 2025, when then-US Vice President JD Vance met with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel [14]. In May 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly criticized the classification of the AfD as extremist, calling it "tyranny in disguise" [14].

## What changed and for whom
The AfD, founded in 2013, has steadily gained electoral support, consistently topping national opinion polls and achieving significant results in state elections [13][19][21]. The party views the Trump administration's anti-establishment stance as a repudiation of traditional American power structures, aligning with their own political agenda and identifying with Trump's role as an insurgent against what they perceive as "Americanism" [15].

Trump publicly praised the AfD in September 2026, following their strong performance in the Saxony-Anhalt state election where they secured 43.8% of the vote [3][16][18]. Via his Truth Social platform, Trump attributed the AfD's success to public discontent with "horrible" immigration rules and regulations [16][17][18]. He also coined the phrase "MGGA" ("Make Germany Great Again") in reference to the party [17]. This demonstrates a perceived ideological alignment, as the AfD's advocacy for stricter immigration policies mirrors those championed by Trump [16][18].

## What the subject has said publicly
The AfD confirmed in October 2026 that a cyberattack had targeted a hosting provider used by the party in September 2026 [6][7][8][13]. A spokesperson stated that parts of a few email accounts, most of which had not been used for years, were apparently copied illegally [7]. The party also said that it is investigating the online publication of the data [6][20].

Donald Trump, in September 2026, posted on Truth Social, praising the AfD's election results in Saxony-Anhalt. He wrote, "Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night. They finally got tired of the absolutely horrible Immigration rules and regulations which have hurt Germany so badly," [17]. He also suggested, "Maybe it's time for MGGA. Make Germany Great Again!!!" [17].

## What we could not confirm
It is unclear who was responsible for the cyberattack [8]. The full authenticity, context, and extent of the claims regarding discriminatory messages within the leaked material have yet to be independently verified [6][13][22].

## Evidence cited
1. (July 20 2022) Alice Weidel, parliamentary leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, is no stranger to the dark arts of publicity. The AfD's election campaign stood out for its racist, sexist, and Islamophobic messages. For its pre-election online offensive, it enlisted the help of Texas-based Harris Media, which worked on Donald Trump's campaign in the Republican primaries.
...
Last month, the AfD said would launch its own TV newsroom in April, claiming the party was being “ (qz.com) — https://qz.com/
2. (March 10 2025) Steve Bannon has escalated his criticism of Elon ... Trump — will abandon the MAGA movement. “Bannon ... AfD Sets Sights on Power. HOT OFF THE PRESS. (gvwire.com) — https://gvwire.com/
3. The state election in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026 was widely treated as the first electoral test of the Merz government in eastern Germany, where the AfD had already become the strongest party in several 2024 contests. (wikipedia.org) — https://wikipedia.org/
4. (July 18 2025) Steve Bannon joined a growing chorus of MAGA influencers coalescing behind President Donald Trump in the wake of the Wall Street Journal report about a ribald birthday letter bearing Trump's name that was sent to Jeffrey Epstein, telling CNN Friday that he believed the story had united a base that had been showing signs of fraying.
...
(July 18 2025) MAGA influencers line up behind Trump after days of pressuring administration for more on Epstein. ... Steve Bannon joined a growing (cnn.com) — https://cnn.com/
5. (October 20 2026) Hackers claim 420000 AfD-linked emails leaked from a hosting provider, including bank statements, academic certificates and membership records. (cybersecurity-insiders.com) — https://cybersecurity-insiders.com/
6. (October 21 2026) What do we know about the AfD email leak? According to an official statement from the AfD, hackers targeted a hosting service provider used by the party and apparently copied data from a small number of email accounts, most of which had not been used for years. "The recent online publication of what is presumably a portion of this data is currently being investigated," a party spokesperson said. "A preliminary assessment can only be provided once this investigation has been con (newarab.com) — https://newarab.com/
7. (October 20 2026) The latest high-profile cyberattack in Germany appears to have targeted the far-right party, and may have exposed a huge number of sensitive messages and private documents. Hundreds of thousands of emails from Alternative for Germany (AfD) party members' accounts was allegedly stolen in a hacking attack ... (thelocal.de) — https://thelocal.de/
8. (October 20 2026) It remains unclear who was responsible for the attack and whether additional data has been compromised.
...
(October 20 2026) The AfD confirmed to the AFP news agency that an email service provider used by the party had been targeted, and "a small number of email accounts, most of which had not been used for years, were apparently copied unlawfully". ... "This attack was quickly detected and stopped, and all users were subsequently informed accordingly," said an AfD statement.  (euronews.com) — https://euronews.com/
9. (October 20 2026) The problem, as usual, is that the truth won't affect their core voters and a sizeable portion of their non-core voters. It's the same as with Trump, Le Pen, and Bolsonaro and any authoritarian (usually far-right) populist. Scandals or reveals or media scrutiny only serves to drive home the "we're being targeted by the establishment" argument. Trump still cosplays the underdog and that he's being targeted by media etc. Social media is rampant with desinformation that undermines (reddit.com) — https://reddit.com/
10. Leaked trove reveals extent of far-right AfD’s efforts to court Trump and Maga allies (www.theguardian.com) — https://theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/23/trump-afd-maga-allies
11. Leaked trove reveals extent of far-right AfD’s efforts to court Trump and Maga allies (inkl.com) — https://inkl.com/
12. (October 23 2026) More than 421,000 emails linked to Germany's right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), or Alternative for Germany, have been published online following a cyberattack on the party in September. German newspaper Bild reported that 421,179 emails were leaked, exposing internal party disputes and private correspondence, according to Danish newspaper Berlingske. The leaked material reportedly includes allegations that a former party member, who was subsequently expelled, had sol (cphpost.dk) — https://cphpost.dk/
13. (October 22 2026) More than 421000 emails linked to Germany's AfD party, one of the country's most polarising political forces, have been released.
...
(October 22 2026) New Delhi: Hundreds of thousands of emails stolen from Germany's far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have been leaked. The hackers have not been identified yet. The party confirmed the breach on 19 October, and has said that a hosting provider used by a small number of members was targeted. More than 421,000 emails lin (theprint.in) — https://theprint.in/
14. (October 30 2025) ... parties after a series of scandals and inflammatory comments. But, with the return of Trump to the White House, the AfD has found a sympathetic ear. AfD wields US ties to counter political isolation at home. In February, US Vice President JD Vance shocked European leaders by accusing them of censoring free speech, repressing political rivals and failing to control immigration. Vance then met with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel in a sign of support shortly before the federal Ger (timesofisrael.com) — https://timesofisrael.com/
15. (September 10 2026) Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) cheer at an election watch party as initial results come in on September 6, ...
...
(September 10 2026) The AfD admires the Trump administration precisely because it repudiates the traditional tenets of American power the AfD so despises—the America of liberal universalism, globalized markets, and multiculturalism. In this way, the AfD identifies with the Trump administration because it has acted as an insurgent agains (americanprogress.org) — https://americanprogress.org/
16. (September 09 2026) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the Alternative for Germany party of advocating anti-migration policies that were tantamount to "ethnic cleansing" during an address to the German parliament.
...
(September 09 2026) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the Alternative for Germany party of advocating anti-migration policies that were tantamount to "ethnic cleansing" during an address to the German parliament. ... US President Donald Trump attributed the win of Germ (jpost.com) — https://jpost.com/
17. (September 09 2026) WASHINGTON/BERLIN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump attributed the win of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a state election to imm… Leggi.
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(September 09 2026) Trump attribuisce la vittoria elettorale dell'estrema destra tedesca a livello regionale all'immigrazione. ... WASHINGTON/BERLIN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump attributed the win of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a state election to (internazionale.it) — https://internazionale.it/
18. (September 09 2026) US President Donald Trump praised Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after it secured a record result in a state election, attributing its rise to opposition to the country's immigration policies. (aa.com.tr) — https://aa.com.tr/
19. (May 06 2025) In April, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party surged to the top of German opinion polls for the first time in the country's postwar history.
...
(May 06 2025) According to an INSA survey, the AfD tied for first place with the Christian Democrats at 25% support. Meanwhile, Forsa placed the AfD alone at the top with 26%. Notably, this development has less to do with AfD's popularity, which has grown by just 2–3% over the past year. Instead, it is largely the result of a (theins.press) — https://theins.press/
20. (October 20 2026) Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is investigating the online publication of data allegedly stolen in a cyberattack last month. Media reports say the leak includes more than 420000 emails, alongside bank statements, academic certificates and party membership lists.
...
(October 20 2026) An AfD spokesperson said the attackers had targeted a hosting service provider used by the party and apparently copied data from a small number of email accounts, most of which h (hungarianconservative.com) — https://hungarianconservative.com/
21. (March 23 2026) The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party more than doubled its share of the vote in a state election in the west of the country, underscoring its national popularity outside its eastern heartlands.
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(March 23 2026) Read More on World. ... The results mark a blow to the Socialist Democrats which had previously held the state for 35 years. AfD came third with 19.5 percent of the vote, more than double the result it received at the last state election five years ago when (newsweek.com) — https://newsweek.com/
22. (October 20 2026) More than 421000 emails linked to Germany's far-right AfD have been published online following a cyberattack. The alleged material includes private communications, sensitive personal data and reported references to racism, antisemitism and Nazi ideology, although much of the trove has not yet been independently verified. Could this become one of the biggest political data leaks in modern German history? #dwcurrentaffairs #DataLeak #DataBreach #FarRight #cybersecurity 0:00 Overv (youtube.com) — https://youtube.com/
23. (October 20 2026) The alleged haul includes the mailbox of Alexander Gauland, the AfD's former co-leader, as well as internal databases and other party documents. The party has confirmed a cyber incident to the German newspaper Bild. "In September 2026, there was a hacking attack on a hosting provider used by our party," an AfD spokesperson said. The party did not provide any information on the extent of the data theft. The spokesperson claimed that the attack was quickly stopped and all affecte (cybernews.com) — https://cybernews.com/
24. (October 20 2026) A data breach exposed AfD emails, while an anonymous site published AI summaries of 421000 messages ... The summaries describe swastikas, Nazi greetings, Christmas cards bearing Heil Hitler, and a thread at the federal party headquarters signed off with “hail and victory.” If authenticated, some of this material would matter significantly in ongoing court proceedings about whether the party can be banned. But right now all of it is filtered through an anonymous operator's softw (securityaffairs.com) — https://securityaffairs.com/
25. (October 21 2026) Published 2 days ago • loading... • Updated 15 hours ago. Unknowns Invent False Mails for the AfD Data Leak. Summary by T-Online. Hundreds of thousands of stolen e-mails from the AfD circulate on the Internet. The party plays down the leak – but the situation is far more serious. Share menu. 9 Articles. 9 Articles. All Left. 3. Center Right. 2. t-online · Lean Left. Factuality. Ownership. Unknowns Invent False Mails for the AfD Data Leak. Hundreds of thousands of stolen e-mails (ground.news) — https://ground.news/
26. (September 17 2026) Alternative for Germany (AfD) is a right-wing German political party founded in 2013. Initially established due to some conservatives' desire to distance themselves from then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, the party has since evolved into a far-right organization with a platform of German nationalism and Islamophobia.
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News. ... Alternative for Germany (AfD), far right-wing German political party founded in 2013. Established during the rise of Euroskepticism in the wake of the  (britannica.com) — https://britannica.com/
27. (September 08 2026) Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party has gone from a fringe Euroskeptic outfit to the country's most powerful opposition force in little more than a decade. It won 20.8% of the vote in the February 2025 federal election — 152 seats in the Bundestag, Germany's Parliament — making it Germany's largest opposition party. That rise hasn't gone unnoticed outside Germany, either. Before the 2025 election, Vice President JD Vance met with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel after (ajc.org) — https://ajc.org/
28. Alternative for Germany (AfD) (americangerman.institute) — https://americangerman.institute/
29. (March 11 2017) During the first two years of the AfD's existence, a board of economists advised the party. These economists were all advocates of a market-friendly interpretation of German ordo-liberalism; they oppose the European Currency System for setting negative incentives for implementing austerity politics.
...
(March 11 2017) Alternative für Deutschland started life as a movement of economists who were opposed to the euro. Four years later and two years after they quit, it is a fully-fl (lse.ac.uk) — https://lse.ac.uk/
30. (December 12 2025) Germany's anti-immigrant AfD party finds open door in Trump's America. Some German lawmakers want to ban Alternative for Germany, but the party has been embraced in Washington, and some of its leaders see Trump's path to power as a road map. Updated December 12, 2025. 9 min. Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany political party listen to co-leader Tino Chrupalla speak at a rally in Dresden on Aug. 29, 2024. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images). By Aaron Wiener. and. Kate B (washingtonpost.com) — https://washingtonpost.com/
31. (October 19 2026) London — From the upper floors of Millbank Tower, a skyscraper overlooking the River Thames in London, the U.K. Houses of Parliament are just a few hundred yards away. For decades, the building housed the headquarters of Britain's Conservative Party, one of the world's oldest political parties. Today, it is home to Reform UK, the right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage that is hoping to — and by some measures may already have — replace the Conservatives as the dominant fo (cbsnews.com) — https://cbsnews.com/
32. (September 09 2026) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the Alternative for Germany party of advocating anti-migration policies that were tantamount to "ethnic cleansing" during an address to the German parliament.
...
(September 09 2026) The AfD's Ulrich Siegmund, who hopes to become the new premier of Saxony-Anhalt after Sunday's election, has promised "deportations (of illegal immigrants) from the first minute" in an echo of Trump's own policies. The AfD has been classified as right-wing (jpost.com) — https://jpost.com/
33. (November 04 2025) The flyers were part of a provocative campaign in Germany by the hardline nationalist AfD party, which has called for the mass 'remigration' of immigrants — and made recent electoral gains. By. Patrice Taddonio. November 4, 2025. Share. Leading up to Germany's 2025 federal election, many people in the country's southwest opened up their mailboxes to see something startling. Inside, they found fake tickets for a one-way flight out of Germany on election day, designed to look li (pbs.org) — https://pbs.org/
34. (September 18 2026) From creating a deportation task force to revising history lessons in schools, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won a resounding victory in the state of Saxony-Anhlat last week and could soon hold power, wants to implement policies that echo some of those enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump. After strong showing in state election, AfD has 1st chance to govern and is looking to U.S. for inspiration. Jessica Singer · CBC News · Posted: Sep 18, 2026 4: (cbc.ca) — https://cbc.ca/
35. (December 10 2025) Continent's other nationalist parties wary of echoing sentiments of US president due to his unpopularity. Jon Henley Europe correspondent. Wed 10 Dec 2025 10.19 EST Last modified on Thu 11 Dec 2025 00.10 EST. Share. Prefer the Guardian on Google. Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has responded to US claims that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” by saying it backs efforts for a nationalist revival on the continent – but other nationalist parties in the E (theguardian.com) — https://theguardian.com/
36. (September 08 2026) US President Donald Trump on Monday hailed the historic victory of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, in a message posted on his Truth Social network. (i24news.tv) — https://i24news.tv/
37. (September 09 2026) Trump's "MGGA" praise collides with Germany's Nazi past. (axios.com) — https://axios.com/
38. (September 09 2026) Donald Trump welcomed the far-right AfD's historic election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, praising its gains and adding "MGGA", a slogan he coined as a German counterpart to his MAGA slogan. (pravda.com.ua) — https://pravda.com.ua/
39. (September 09 2026) President Donald Trump celebrated the far-right Alternative for Germany party Tuesday after it scored a landslide victory in a regional election, praising the party's rise and tying its success to voter frustration over immigration. (youtube.com) — https://youtube.com/
40. (September 20 2026) Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party notched another recent high-profile electoral victory after coming in first place in state elections in the country's northeastern state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Sunday, results the country's Chancellor Friedrich Merz called a “disaster." (forbes.com) — https://forbes.com/
41. (September 25 2026) In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on the Baltic coast, the AfD also came in first with 38.2% of the vote, but the popular incumbent Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, a Social Democrat, largely defended her ground by defining herself as the anti-AfD candidate. (brookings.edu) — https://brookings.edu/
42. (September 07 2026) The AfD won the parliamentary election in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September, securing 43.8% of the vote – 23 percentage points more than in 2021. (osw.waw.pl) — https://osw.waw.pl/
43. (September 06 2026) The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country's first far-right state government since World War II. (cbsnews.com) — https://cbsnews.com/
44. (September 06 2026) Alternative für Deutschland surges to victory in Saxony-Anhalt as Friedrich Merz's CDU slumps to disastrous result. Kate Connolly in Berlin. Sun 6 Sep 2026 22.42 EDT First published on Sun 6 Sep 2026 12.17 EDT. Share. Prefer the Guardian on Google. The populist, far-right, anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has surged to a resounding victory in a crucial state election in Germany, but fell just short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country's fir (theguardian.com) — https://theguardian.com/
45. (October 21 2026) Germany's far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland, and its 44% win in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt is a symptom of a systemic crisis of democracy that the political mainstream keeps mistaking for a local disturbance. (kettering.org) — https://kettering.org/