Alice Weidel

Alice Weidel
Born	Alice Elisabeth Weidel (1979-02-06) February 6, 1979 Gütersloh, West Germany
Occupation(s)	Politician, business consultant
Years active	2013–present
Known for	Co-chair of Alternative for Germany (AfD), leader of AfD Bundestag faction

Alice Elisabeth Weidel (born 6 February 1979) is a German politician associated with the far-right spectrum, currently serving as co-chair of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) alongside Tino Chrupalla since June 2022. She has led the AfD's parliamentary faction in the Bundestag since October 2017.

Weidel secured her Bundestag seat during the 2017 German federal election, acting as AfD's primary candidate together with Alexander Gauland. She reprised this leading role in the 2021 German federal election alongside Tino Chrupalla. Between February 2020 and July 2022, she was the head of AfD's state association in Baden-Württemberg. In 2024, she was nominated as the party’s candidate for the office of Chancellor of Germany for the upcoming 2025 German federal election.

Early life and career

Born on 6 February 1979 in Gütersloh, Alice Elisabeth Weidel spent her childhood in Harsewinkel and completed her secondary education at a Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands (CJD) Gymnasium in 1998. She pursued studies in economics and business administration at the University of Bayreuth, graduating with top honors in 2004. Subsequently, from July 2005 to June 2006, she worked as an analyst within Goldman Sachs's Asset Management division based in Frankfurt. During the late 2000s, Weidel was employed by the Bank of China and resided in China for six years. She earned her doctorate in international development from Bayreuth’s Faculty of Law and Economics in 2011, completing a dissertation on the prospects of the Chinese pension system, graduating with magna cum laude distinction. Her doctoral research received support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, an organization linked to but independent from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

From March 2011 until May 2013, Weidel held the position of Vice President at Allianz Global Investors located in Frankfurt. Since 2014, she has operated as an independent business consultant. In 2015, she undertook roles at both Rocket Internet and Foodora. By 2016, Weidel had become a member of the Friedrich A. von Hayek Society.

Alternative for Germany

Weidel became a member of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in October 2013, initially motivated by her opposition to the euro currency. She gained election to the party’s federal executive board in June 2015 and was appointed co-lead candidate in April 2017, marking her as the first openly lesbian individual to hold this role. Media sources associate her with AfD’s more moderate conservative wing known as Alternative Mitte.

Swiss real estate magnate Henning Conle financially supported AfD by channeling €132,000 through intermediaries for Weidel’s 2017 federal election campaign, thereby concealing the Swiss origin of these funds. Although AfD incurred a significant fine over this donation, neither Weidel nor other party officials faced penalties. In early 2025, a record-breaking €2.35 million contribution from Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) politician Gerhard Dingler—connected to Conle—prompted legal scrutiny under both German and Austrian regulations.

In January 2024, Weidel terminated advisor Roland Hartwig following his participation in a contentious gathering involving far-right activists that discussed plans for mass deportations within Germany.

European Union and economic matters

Weidel is a firm proponent of economic liberalism, often citing former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as an inspiration.

She stands against the elimination of cash payments and, amid the euro area crisis, advocated for economically weaker countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal to exit or be removed from the Eurozone. Weidel favors reducing taxes, abolishing the inheritance tax, and rejects the implementation of a minimum wage.

While she supports Germany’s ongoing membership in the European Union, in a 2023 interview Weidel suggested that if reforms led by AfD to resolve the EU's "democratic deficit" do not succeed, Germany should consider a Brexit-style referendum on EU membership. This scenario is regarded by leading economists as highly detrimental to the economy. Back in 2015, she pushed for Germany to abandon the euro and revert to a gold-backed currency, but by early 2025 she conceded that it was "far too late to leave the euro," softening her party's prior position. Nevertheless, she predicted a chaotic collapse of the Euro with substantial financial losses.

At the AfD party conference in June 2024, Weidel declared that it was in the best interests of both Germany and Europe that "Ukraine does not belong to the European Union."

Since 2025, the AfD has worked alongside Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Weidel has praised Hungary as an example for the AfD, underscoring their mutual stance against illegal immigration and shared perspectives on EU policies. In February 2025, she stressed the importance of reforming the EU internally by curtailing its powers and dismantling its expensive and bureaucratic superstructure.

Asylum and integration policy

In December 2016, Weidel attributed partial responsibility for the rape and murder of Maria Ladenburger to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In 2017, she criticized Merkel’s immigration approach, claiming it would "destroy" Germany and describing it as "utterly nonsensical." She regarded Merkel’s asylum policies as violations of "international agreements" and advocated establishing a "Fortress Europe" alongside robust development aid. Weidel opposes providing health insurance to asylum seekers, condemns what she calls a "naive approach" toward radical Islamic preachers, and cautions against unrealistic expectations regarding refugee integration into the workforce. She characterizes the refugee situation as an unpredictable economic and social welfare strain and asserts that voters supporting mainstream parties (CDU/CSU and SPD) have "lost their minds." According to her analysis, migration lies at the core of all major current challenges.

Weidel calls for banning the burqa and niqāb and supports prohibiting headscarves in public spaces, labeling them as an "absolutely sexist symbol" embodying gender apartheid.

She advocates for German investments in "special economic zones" within the Middle East aimed at retaining skilled workers and countering brain drain, while endorsing a "Canadian-style system" that prioritizes skilled immigrants over unskilled laborers.

Overall approach

In October 2022, Weidel characterized the AfD's motto "Our country first" as promoting a foreign policy driven by national interests rather than guided by principles or values.

Relations with Russia and Ukraine

Weidel expressed criticism of Germany's sanctions imposed on Russia, arguing that these measures create an economic conflict that ultimately disadvantages Germany more than either Russia or Ukraine. Although she condemned Russia's invasion as unlawful, she opposed direct intervention and considered the prospect of prosecuting President Putin for war crimes unrealistic. She stressed the importance of ending the conflict while also holding Ukraine responsible, warning against unconditionally accepting Ukraine's maximalist demands.

Despite her support for maintaining economic relations with Russia, Weidel does not align herself with the AfD’s pro-Russian faction. She notably refrained from attending the Russian embassy’s Victory Day event, citing personal reasons connected to her family background and rejecting the notion of commemorating Germany’s defeat alongside a former occupying power.

Middle Eastern policy

Contrasting with her AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla, Weidel expressed support for Israel amid the Gaza war. In a discussion with Elon Musk, she affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself but conveyed uncertainty about achieving a resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Position on the United States

In early 2025, during an interview with The American Conservative, Weidel criticized US President Donald Trump’s call for increased German defense spending while maintaining American political dominance. She compared Germany’s situation to that of a slave, stating "slaves don’t fight," but those who resist will "demand freedom." Weidel underscored that Germany must assume responsibility for its own security in the future, advocating for independence from US influence especially in matters of energy policy and Nord Stream.

COVID-19 pandemic

At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Weidel warned that allowing COVID-19 to spread unchecked in Germany could lead to "fatal consequences," urging decisive government intervention and highlighting risks greater than those posed by seasonal flu. Following the imposition of lockdowns, she called for an immediate reopening of the economy and condemned what she described as the federal government's "chaos policy," labeling it "disastrous." By May 2020, she criticized pandemic restrictions as "pre-democratic," objecting to broad limitations on fundamental rights. When party leader Jörg Meuthen criticized AfD’s support for COVID-19 demonstrations, Weidel defended the protesters, asserting that the Infection Protection Act violated constitutional principles.

In July 2021, Weidel announced she would not receive vaccination in the near future and argued that healthy unvaccinated individuals faced discrimination, rejecting any implied vaccine mandates. She contracted COVID-19 herself in November 2021 and underwent home quarantine. In a December 2021 interview, she inaccurately stated that most COVID patients in intensive care were unvaccinated, attributing this claim to data from the Federal Statistical Office—a claim denied by the office—which drew media attention. During an AfD event in Heilbronn in March 2024, Weidel raised questions regarding accountability for vaccine-related injuries and fatalities.

LGBTQ topics

Weidel advocates for civil partnerships for same-sex couples, highlighting that she herself is a lesbian in such a partnership. She pairs this stance with opposition to asylum in Germany and Islam, describing her approach to family policy as more progressive than that of her party: "Family is defined by the presence of children."

She rejects sexuality education before puberty, opposing what she terms "premature sexualization classes," and stands against the legalization of same-sex marriage, stressing the importance of safeguarding the "traditional family" while recognizing "alternative lifestyles."

Churches in Germany

At the end of 2017, Weidel accused Germany's two largest religious institutions—the Catholic and Protestant churches—of repeating their "disgraceful role" from the era of the Third Reich. She labeled them as "deeply politicized" and claimed that AfD represents "the only Christian party remaining" in Germany. These assertions were dismissed by both the Catholic German Bishops' Conference and the Evangelical Church as mere "polemics" and attempts at "derailment."

Climate change

Weidel has expressed skepticism regarding global warming; in 2019, she indicated disbelief that "human impact on climate change is decisive." Earlier that year, the AfD had moderated its position during the European elections by acknowledging some human influence. She referenced Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark, who argues that CO₂'s role in climate change is overstated, and her spokesperson mentioned geophysicist Eigil Friis-Christensen as another authority. However, Friis-Christensen’s work, often cited by climate skeptics, lacks scientific validation.

Concerning the Fridays for Future demonstrations, Weidel described their growing influence as a "campaigning force advancing towards us" and characterized it as "alarming."

At the AfD conference held in Riesa in January 2025, Weidel announced intentions to restart nuclear power plants and prolong operations of coal-fired facilities. She also committed to reopening Nord Stream to secure Russian gas supplies via the Baltic Sea. Moreover, she pledged to dismantle all wind turbines, branding them as "windmills of shame."

Incident involving "political correctness"

In April 2017, Weidel criticized political correctness, labeling it outdated. On 27 April, Christian Ehring, a TV host from the satire show extra 3, responded with a provocative comment. Weidel filed a lawsuit to prevent further broadcasts of the segment; however, on 17 May, Hamburg District Court ruled against her, emphasizing that public figures must endure exaggerated criticism. Weidel disagreed and planned to appeal to a higher court. By September 2017, no additional legal proceedings had taken place.

Allegations related to illegal employment

A report published in September 2017 by Die Zeit claimed Weidel had unlawfully employed a Syrian refugee for domestic work in Switzerland without formal contracts or receipts. Weidel refuted these allegations on Twitter as "fake news," while her attorney clarified that the Syrian individual was a guest rather than an employee.

Claims of border revisionism

In June 2023, Weidel addressed election survey results from the former East Germany region excluding Berlin, highlighting the significant support for the AfD there. She referred to this area as Mitteldeutschland (Central Germany), a designation that some Polish observers interpreted as suggesting that the Recovered Territories should be considered part of Germany. This interpretation led to a dispute involving Polish politician Beata Szydło.

Statements on migrants and demographic changes

In May 2018, Weidel faced criticism from Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), who was then serving as President of the Bundestag, following a Bundestag address in which she declared: "Burkas, girls in headscarves, knifemen on subsidies and other good-for-nothings will not secure our prosperity, economic growth and, above all, the welfare state." These comments generated considerable backlash. Weidel subsequently clarified that she did not intend to offend all women who wear headscarves.

During the same speech, she mentioned an "increase in the population through immigrant criminals with multiple identities" and spoke of a "strategy of generational replacement through unregulated immigration," accusing the government of attempting to "select and assemble the people themselves." This rhetoric was widely interpreted as an allusion to the "Great Replacement" narrative.

Views on Hitler’s political ideology

On 9 January 2025, during a live session on X (formerly Twitter) Spaces with Elon Musk, both Weidel and Musk asserted that "Hitler was a communist". Established historians reject categorizing Hitler and the National Socialist movement as "left" or "socialist", with sources such as Tagesschau noting Hitler’s 1928 statement declaring that the Nazi Party was not socialist. Nonetheless, in his second book written that same year, Hitler identified himself as a socialist, stating: "I am a socialist. I see no class and no social estate before me, but that community of the folk, made up of people who are linked by blood [...]", and several scholars and economists including Henry Ashby Turner, Peter Temin Götz Aly, George Reisman, and Ludwig von Mises have pointed out socialist components within National Socialist ideology and governance.

In February 2025, Weidel claimed that the Holocaust is being politically exploited within Germany.

Personal life

Since 2009, Weidel has been in a lesbian partnership with Sarah Bossard, a film producer originally from Sri Lanka who was adopted by Swiss parents. Since 2019, the couple has resided with their two adopted sons in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. While Weidel conducts her professional activities in Berlin, she maintains her official domicile in her electoral district of Überlingen, Germany, which enables her to avoid Swiss tax obligations.

Weidel identifies as an agnostic.

Her paternal lineage traces back to Neustadt and Leobschütz in Upper Silesia, areas now located within Poland. Her grandfather, Hans Weidel, served as a judge under the Nazi regime appointed by Adolf Hitler, having joined the NSDAP at the end of 1932 and the SS shortly thereafter in early 1933. Born in Upper Silesia in 1939, Weidel’s father fled with his family to Verl in 1945. He later established a sales agency specializing in office furniture in 1972 and worked professionally as a sales representative for furniture and antiques.

Selected works

• The Pension System of the People's Republic of China: Reform Alternatives from a Regulatory Economic Perspective to Enhance Risk Resilience (Publications in National Economics. Volume 60). Verlag P.C.O., Bayreuth 2011, .