The gala has become a nexus for Trump-aligned Republicans and international far-right figures. European leaders fear this growing U.S. endorsement could legitimize and boost parties like the AfD, which currently leads national polls ahead of key 2026 state elections. A recent U.S. strategy document criticizes Europe for stifling dissent and calls for cultivating resistance to its path.
In his speech, Frohnmaier called a U.S.-German patriot alliance "the nightmare of the liberal elites" and "the hope of the free world," urging attendees to "reclaim our culture" and "make the West whole again." His appearance came as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged the "Pax Americana" era is over, signaling a major shift in transatlantic relations.
Frohnmaier met with U.S. Under Secretary Sarah Rogers before the gala. Rogers recently criticized European "censorship." Mainstream German parties accuse the AfD of "anti-German diplomacy," and the party is officially classified as a right-wing extremist group, leading other parties to shun it.
The deepening ties between the AfD and the New York club were highlighted when the same tenor who sang at the gala performed the Nazi-era first stanza of the German anthem at an AfD reception in October. Frohnmaier has since invited U.S. officials to a congress in Germany next February, coinciding with the Munich Security Conference. The State Department did not immediately comment.
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Source: REUTERS