Markus Frohnmaier, the AfD’s top candidate in Baden‑Württemberg, plans to travel to Washington from March 2 to 5, just three days before the election on March 8. According to the news outlet Politico, the trip is intended for “active corporate diplomacy” and to safeguard jobs in the state. In a podcast for the magazine, Frohnmaier explained that the purpose of the visit was to help secure Baden‑Württemberg employment.
In Washington, he will speak at the “Alliance of Sovereign Nations” congress, organized by Turning Point Action. The AfD is a partner at the event, which will also feature congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson holds the third-highest position in the United States after President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance.
Frohnmaier cited economic reasons for the trip, noting that the United States is Baden‑Württemberg’s most important non‑European trade partner, with trade volume exceeding €53 billion and an export share of 14.4 percent. He pointed out that tens of thousands of jobs – especially in the auto industry, where over 315,000 people are directly employed and export accounts for more than 77 percent – depend on stable trans‑Atlantic relations.
He also argued that other parties’ leading candidates lack a strong US connection, claiming that the growing anti‑American stance of the CDU and the Greens jeopardises these jobs. Frohnmaier said that, especially amid looming trade tensions, he felt it was his duty to pursue direct dialogue with American partners and to represent Baden‑Württemberg’s economic interests on the ground.
