When Vice President JD Vance spoke critically of his German hosts for excluding far-right parties from discussions, he deliberately omitted any mention of the Alternative for Germany, otherwise known as the AfD.
However, immediately following his address at the Munich Security Conference – where his remarks compared today’s European democracy unfavorably to Soviet-era totalitarianism – Mr. Vance engaged in a meeting with Alice Weidel, the leader of the AfD.
A former investment analyst and mother of two, raising her children with her Sri Lankan-born wife in Switzerland, Ms. Weidel, 46, has positioned herself as an unexpected figurehead for the nationalist AfD. Her party’s platform centers on opposition to immigration and a traditional definition of family life, consisting of a father and mother raising children.
The AfD, which enjoys support from the new American administration and has received endorsements from figures like Elon Musk, has made significant progress in mainstream German politics, securing a strong second-place position in the run-up to recent national elections.
Ms. Weidel’s signature style of turtleneck sweaters and pearls has transformed the AfD’s public image, despite the party’s historical association with neo-Nazis and sedition plots. Yet, experts claim that Ms. Weidel’s leadership has only streamlined the party’s extreme ideological stance.
Despite public impressions that her affluent and cosmopolitan demeanor softens the party’s hard-line image, her rhetoric – which includes calls for the removal of wind turbines and the dismissal of gender studies professors – remains uncompromisingly extreme.
In recent televised debates, which included her mainstream rivals such as Robert Habeck of the Green Party, Ms. Weidel’s performance was seen as erratic. Yet, her participation in such a high-profile event marked a pivotal moment for the AfD, as it was the party’s first time being included in what is likely the most-watched debate in Germany ahead of an election.
Ms. Weidel has polled as the most popular chancellor candidate, reflecting her effectiveness in normalizing the AfD, although other parties vehemently refuse any coalition with her.
Her personal life presents an apparent paradox, as she and her spouse, Sarah Bossard, a film director, live as a same-sex couple – an arrangement at odds with the AfD’s traditional stance. Experts argue that Ms. Weidel’s multifaceted persona has helped to normalize the party in the public eye.
Having been elected to Parliament for the first time in 2017 and with no prior government experience, Ms. Weidel is now the face of a party traditionally seen as fringe. Her relationship with figures like Elon Musk has further internationalized her profile, even amidst renewed scrutiny of her party’s connections to Nazi ideology.
Despite her efforts to detangle the AfD from its controversial past, some party supporters appeared to maintain old allegiances, with chants at an event subtly echoing a Nazi slogan, “Everything for Germany,” albeit adapting it to “Alice for Germany.” This blend of revamped strategies and lingering extremism encapsulates both the evolving nature of the AfD under Ms. Weidel’s leadership and the complex challenge she faces in trying to legitimize a party with such a contentious history.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/23/world/germany-election
