POLITICO Nightly: The German Musk whisperer

 

By Calder McHugh Presented by the American Heart Association Naomi Seibt speaks during a workshop at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 in National Harbor, Md. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images THE NEW GLOBAL ORDER — Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party announced Monday it would file suit to challenge a decision by the country’s intelligence agencies that classified the party as an extremist organization. And as the party fights Germany’s establishment, they’re finding influential allies in the American conservative movement. The announcement that the AfD would be challenging the classification went largely unnoticed in the United States. But last week, when Germany’s domestic intelligence agency the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) declared the AfD to be extremist, some of the most prominent political figures on the American right were up in arms. “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy — it’s tyranny in disguise,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X on Friday , after the classification went into effect. “The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt — not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment,” wrote Vice President JD Vance on X . “Fate loves irony,” Elon Musk responded, quote-tweeting Vance’s post , in an apparent reference to the idea that the Germans themselves were reinstating a form of totalitarianism. The American right’s interest in the AfD — at least as expressed online — can be traced fairly directly to Musk, who began posting about the party in the leadup to Germany’s February federal elections, which saw the center-right CDU/CSU win the most seats in the Bundestag but AfD surge into second place. And it appears Musk’s interest comes in large part from his interactions with Naomi Seibt, a 24-year-old German political influencer now living in the United States. Seibt, a climate skeptic who’s drawn online attention in Germany for her views since she was a teenager, was in direct communication with Musk in the leadup to Germany’s elections after she posted that she’d be voting for the AfD. How they connected is a lesson in global politics in the social media age — the world’s richest man saw one of Seibt’s tweets and then reached out to her. “I publicly declared that I was voting for the AfD, posted a photo and wrote that I was voting for the AfD, and suddenly Elon Musk came into play for the very first time and responded,” Seibt told Paul Ronzheimer, a reporter for the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network of which POLITICO is part, in an interview. “He publicly asked why it was that every time I mentioned the AfD, I got negative reactions. That was roughly his response at the time. A few days later, he wrote to me personally on X.” The algorithm of X, which Musk owns, is powerful, shaping what Musk himself sees and in turn dedicates his energy towards. His sudden interest in the party has helped to raise its salience among an army of Musk devotees online. And much of this happened thanks to Seibt’s posting. “I explained to him quite clearly that I don’t see the AfD as a party that represents Nazi ideology, as is sometimes reported in many international media outlets,” Seibt said. “What the AfD reminds me of much more is the liberal German movement of the 19th century, around the time of the German Revolution, when, and this is a very important point, the German Revolution was based on people having nationalist values because they wanted to create the nation of Germany, but at the same time coupled with liberalism.” According to Seibt, Musk then sent her a meme about the Roman Empire, which she replied to “relatively wittily, saying that it’s typical for men to love the Roman Empire.” Representatives for Musk did not respond to a request for comment. Seibt later used her contacts with both Musk and the AfD to coordinate a 75-minute long livestream between Musk and Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate and co-chair of the AfD. In a glimpse of Seibt’s worldview — and her regular trafficking of conspiracy theories online — Siebt wrote on X about the meeting : “Support for the authoritarian left establishment is entirely manufactured by brainwashing via the media and NGOs. Both are funded by psychopath George Soros and extinctionist Bill Gates.”   ***NAZI MUSKRAT TRAFFICS IN WARPED  FANTASIES & DELUSIONS! FOUND A KINDRED SOUL!**** Now, as Germany’s intelligence agencies take a hard look at the AfD, Musk and the American right’s outrage about the party’s future is poised to play a role. The German influencer insisted that she’s merely there to help a much more powerful force in shaping the politics of the online right. “When Elon Musk is convinced of something and says something, then it will happen,” Seibt said. And earlier today, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency paused their classification, now waiting until an administrative court in Cologne rules on the AfD’s bid for an injunction. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @calder_mchugh .   A message from the American Heart Association: Across America, communities are standing up to Big Soda—and winning. By taking action to remove sugary drinks from SNAP, raise sugary drink excise taxes to lower sales and expose soda companies’ predatory marketing tactics, leaders are protecting kids’ health against powerful corporate interests. The American Heart Association remains committed to curbing sugary drink consumption and protecting families' health.   What'd I Miss? — Robert Prevost becomes first American pope and takes name Leo XIV: American Robert Prevost was announced today as the new pope , taking the papal name Leo XIV. He will be the first American pope. Leo waved to the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square, greeting them with the words “Peace be with all of you.” Born in Chicago, to a French father, the 69-year-old has spent much of his clerical life abroad in Peru, and is fluent in Spanish and Italian. He was expected to garner support from Latin American and U.S. cardinals. He has been president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023, the same year he became a cardinal. ****WATCHING THE COMPLEXITY OF FEMA'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS ARE UNDERSTANDABLE. IT WOULD SEEM THAT RED STATES HAVE SUFFERED THE GREATEST CATASTROPHES. BUDGET CUTS TO FUND TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY HAVE PRIORITY OVER PROTECTING PEOPLE, SAVINGS LIVES & RESTORING COMMUNITIES!**** — FEMA chief is fired: The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired this morning, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s acting administrator, has told people that he was terminated, leaving the nation’s disaster agency without a top official three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and as Congress scrutinizes FEMA’s proposed budget for fiscal 2026. Hamilton was summoned to Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington this morning and told of his termination by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar and Corey Lewandowski, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, according to a person with direct knowledge. excerpts:  The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning and replaced by a Trump administration official with no disaster response experience. Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s acting administrator, was summoned to Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, where he was terminated by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar and Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to President Donald Trump, according to a person with direct knowledge of the events. Hamilton returned to FEMA headquarters a few miles away, collected his belongings and left. His biography was removed from FEMA’s website and his official X account was archived. The firing occurred a day after Hamilton testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee, where he seemed to contradict recent comments made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about potentially eliminating FEMA. “I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said at the hearing on Wednesday. In response to questions from POLITICO’s E&E News, FEMA’s press office confirmed that Hamilton had been fired. “Effective today, David Richardson is now serving as the Senior Official Performing the duties of the FEMA Administrator,” a spokesperson said in an email, referring to the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. “Cameron Hamilton is no longer serving in this capacity.” Neither FEMA nor DHS, which oversees the agency, gave a reason for Hamilton being fired. Former FEMA chief of staff Michael Coen said Hamilton’s firing “further erodes the confidence that state emergency managers and the American people are going to have in the nation’s emergency management.” Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, considered resigning about two months ago, until FEMA staffers convinced him to stay, according to a person who was granted anonymity to discuss personnel issues. In late March, Hamilton was given a lie-detector test by Homeland Security officials to determine if he leaked information about a private meeting he had with Noem and Lewandowski at DHS headquarters. The test cleared Hamilton. More recently, Hamilton appeared to be growing into his job, speaking at conferences and building rapport with lawmakers. In public appearances, Hamilton could come across as friendly and occasionally funny. In April, Hamilton sent the White House a six-page memo with options to reduce FEMA’s role in responding to natural disasters. Hamilton’s suggestion to sharply curtail the number of natural disasters that FEMA would provide help for has drawn widespread attention. His firing comes at a tumultuous time as Trump looks to overhaul or potentially abolish the agency that gives states and individuals roughly $45 billion a year to help recover from natural disasters. While Hamilton was being fired, Noem was fielding questions about FEMA’s future at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. “We have seen an upheaval at FEMA that is going to put lives in jeopardy,” Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, told Noem. “We are losing indispensable staff just weeks away from fire and hurricane season.” After the hearing, Murray told POLITICO’s E&E News that she didn’t know about Hamilton’s firing and said, “I don’t like the appearance of it. But I don’t know if there’s more behind it.” In a separate interview, Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said, “I worry very much about what happens when natural disasters hit.” North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican whose state was badly damaged during Hurricane Helene last year, said he was “disappointed” when told of Hamilton’s firing. “I thought he was a good leader,” Tillis said. At the Wednesday budget hearing, Hamilton said he was “not in a position” to decide the future of FEMA. “That is a conversation that should be had between the president of the United States and this governing body.” Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that Hamilton “was fired when he told the truth and refused to toe the administration line with its plans to eliminate FEMA.” Hamilton became FEMA’s acting administrator indirectly. Trump initially named him to a senior agency position, the appointee to which becomes FEMA acting administrator if the agency has no permanent administrator or deputy administrator. Both jobs have been vacant since Trump took office. Hamilton was never nominated for the top role because he lacks the emergency management experience required under federal law. “The uncertainty with the leadership with FEMA as we are in the middle of spring flood season and approaching hurricane season is concerning,” said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. “There is a reason the law requires the administrator of FEMA to have state emergency management experience, and we would hope that the administration will be progressing on getting somebody with those kinds of qualifications in that position soon,” he added. Richardson, the new FEMA acting administrator, served in the Marine Corps, commanding artillery units in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa, according to his homeland security biography. Andy Picon and Jennifer Scholtes contributed reporting. ****U.K. TRADE DEAL!**** — Trump announces ‘very large’ trade deal with UK: President Donald Trump announced the framework for a trade deal with the U.K. , the first agreement the White House has reached since launching steep new global tariffs last month. “The final details are being written in the coming weeks,” Trump said during an event in the Oval Office, adding that the deal would provide new market access in the U.K. for American agriculture, chemicals, machinery and many other industrial products. The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access, “especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers,” Trump claimed. But Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged during the White House event that many of the thorny details of any future agriculture access have yet to be negotiated. excerpt:  The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access, “especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers,” Trump claimed. But Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged during the White House event that many of the thorny details of any future agriculture access have yet to be negotiated. And a spokesperson for Starmer’s office made clear U.K. leaders “are not going to lower British food standards” — the main barrier to U.S. ag exports there. As its part of the bargain, the Trump administration agreed to lower its 25 percent additional tariff on auto and auto parts to 10 percent for the first 100,000 cars entering the U.S., and to replace a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports with a new “alternative arrangement” the two countries will negotiate. Trump’s predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, negotiated an alternative steel and aluminum arrangement with the U.K., along with Japan and the European Union, but Trump abandoned all of those earlier this year. The framework announced Thursday leaves in place the 10 percent baseline tariff that Trump imposed on the U.K. and all other trading partners with his so-called “Liberation Day” action on April 2 — a fact that Democrats were quick to jump on. “When I heard the news about a quote-unquote ‘deal’ with the U.K., I was skeptical. After today’s press conference, I still am,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee said in a statement. “The details aren’t even finalized. There’s not much THERE, there. Howard Lutnick has said the 10 percent tariffs Trump slapped on the UK aren’t even going away. That means American families and businesses are going to keep getting hammered with Trump’s reckless global tariffs that are driving up prices,” Wyden said. The U.K. concessions included eliminating its tariff on ethanol, a victory for U.S. corn farmers who produce the feedstock for the fuel. Britain also agreed to a tariff-free quota for 13,000 metric tonnes of U.S. beef. But the British government’s insistence that it will not weaken its food standards suggests the quota will not be available for beef from cattle raised with the use of artificial growth hormones, a common U.S. production practice that many other countries find objectionable. The U.S. Commerce Department estimated the agreement will provide $5 billion worth of new export opportunities for U.S. farmers, ranchers and manufacturers. That includes fruits, vegetables, animal feed, tobacco, shellfish and textiles, in addition to chemicals, ethanol and beef. If realized, that would provide about roughly a 6 percent increase in U.S. exports to the U.K., which totaled about $80 billion in 2024. However, it would boost overall U.S. exports, which totaled $2 trillion last year, by just a fractional amount. The White House said the increased export projections include more than $700 million in ethanol exports and $250 million in beef and other agricultural products. Other provisions make it easier for U.S. firms to compete in the U.K.’s procurement market, streamline customs procedures for U.S. exports, establish high standard commitments in the areas of intellectual property, labor, and environment and create a secure supply chain for pharmaceutical products, according to the White House. The deal also boosts the competitiveness and security of the U.S. aerospace supply chain “through preferential access to high-quality UK aerospace components,” the White House said. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who joined Trump’s Oval Office event by speakerphone, said the deal was “hugely important” for U.K. sectors like car manufacturing, autos and steel, which have been hit by some of the tariffs that Trump has imposed. “With this president and this prime minister, we’ve managed to achieve what many people have tried to achieve for years,” Starmer said. “It feels completely historic.” The deal appears to fall far short of the full-fledged free trade agreement the U.K. hoped to negotiate with the United States when it left the European Union. The two sides began talks on such a pact during Trump’s first term in office but were unable to finalize a deal before Trump left office. Two-way trade between the United States and the U.K. totaled about $148 billion last year, accounting for just 3 percent of U.S. trade with the world. That’s dwarfed by the much bigger U.S. trade relationships with Mexico, Canada, China and the European Union, which the U.K. departed via Brexit during Trump’s first term. In addition, the United States runs a trade surplus with the U.K., instead of the deficit it has with most countries. That likely helped London in its talks with the U.S. The broad framework will likely set the tone for deals with countries in the coming weeks, as Trump eyes countries in Asia economically close to China, such as India, South Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks. ***RFK JR THE MOST INCOMPETENT & UNQUALIFIED TRUMP APPOINTMENT THAT SENATE REPUBLICANS EMBRACED!**** — RFK Jr. set to name new top HHS spokesman: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to tap Rich Danker as the department’s new top spokesman , three people familiar with the decision told POLITICO. The selection comes two months after Kennedy’s first assistant secretary for public affairs, Tom Corry, abruptly quit just days into his tenure over disagreements with Kennedy’s senior team and Kennedy’s handling of the measles outbreak. Danker is a former first-term Trump official who served in senior adviser roles at the Treasury Department and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He was most recently a senior vice president at Virginia-based Chain Bridge Bank. excerpt: The addition comes at a crucial moment for Kennedy, who has faced criticism over his public messaging on the measles spread and the firings of thousands of employees across HHS and its subagencies. The disjointed communications operation has worried even some allies and prompted scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Kennedy is set to testify in front of the Senate HELP Committee next week for the first time since his confirmation, where he’s expected to address a budget proposal that calls for deep funding cuts and the consolidation or elimination of several health offices. Democrats and some Republican senators on the panel, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have warned the cuts could hurt key services and questioned the strategy behind the reductions. ****TRUMP BUNGLING!**** — Trump pushes for 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, threatens sanctions: President Donald Trump said he was proposing a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war today — and threatened additional sanctions if the pause in fighting isn’t respected. Trump wrote in a social media post that he will “stay committed” to peace between Ukraine and Russia, a departure from comments by him and his administration last month stressing that the U.S. could back out of talks if negotiations did not progress. After pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the beginning of his term, the Trump administration has recently been amping up pressure on Russia, as Trump’s patience has grown thin after being unable to end the war in his first 100 days.   Policy moves fast—stay ahead with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant. Effortlessly search POLITICO's archive of 1M+ news articles, analysis documents, and legislative text. Track legislation, showcase your impact, and generate custom reports in seconds. Designed for POLITICO Pro subscribers, this tool helps you make faster, smarter decisions. Start exploring now .     AROUND THE WORLD Shipping containers lie stacked on April 15, 2025, in Hamburg, Germany. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images EU TURNS UP THE HEAT — The European Union upped the pressure today in its trade dispute with President Donald Trump by proposing potential tariffs on nearly €100 billion of imports — including big-ticket items like aircraft. The lists includes passenger cars, medical devices, chemicals and plastics, and a slew of agricultural products. Also back on the list are bourbon and other spirits, after wine-producing nations France and Italy pressured the Commission to remove them fearing Trump’s wrath. These are part of a 200-page catalog of more than 4,800 goods compiled by EU trade officials in response to Trump’s imposition last month of “reciprocal” tariffs as well as tariffs on EU cars. EU imports of these items exceeded €109 billion in 2024 according to Eurostat — aircraft are the biggest at more than €13 billion followed by autos at €7 billion. The EU is also considering restricting exports of scrap steel and chemical products worth €4.4 billion. ***TRUMP'S TODDLER-LIKE IGNORANCE!*** DOWN ON THE DOME — Russia and China warned on Wednesday that Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Iron Dome for America” missile defense system would destabilize global security and turn outer space into a new arena for armed confrontation . “The recently announced large-scale ‘Golden (Iron) Dome for America’ program is deeply destabilizing,” the two sides said in a joint statement during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow. The U.S. plan “explicitly provides for a significant strengthening of the arsenal for conducting combat operations in space,” it added. The remarks came as Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Trump announced the missile shield plan in March, citing Israel’s Iron Dome as inspiration — though experts note that defending the entire U.S. would be vastly more complex and costly than protecting a country the size of New Jersey.   A message from the American Heart Association:     Nightly Number 13,000 The number of tons of U.S. beef permitted to enter the U.K. tariff-free according to the trade deal framework with the U.K. announced Thursday, the first agreement the White House has reached since launching steep new global tariffs last month. RADAR SWEEP YOUR NORTH KOREAN CO-WORKER — For up to a decade, North Korea has been running an illegal operation in an attempt to steal American tech jobs and send the cash earned back home to the North Korean government . From home bases in China and Russia, North Korean workers look online for American software jobs that are fully remote, and then use American “facilitators” — often people who don’t even know they’re working for the North Korean government — to help with paperwork and to own a laptop in America that these workers can connect to remotely. The complex operation has also started to incorporate artificial intelligence to make the applications look more believable. But American authorities are starting to catch on, raiding the homes of some of these “facilitators” who are housing hundreds of laptops. Bobbie Johnson reports for WIRED. Parting Image On this date in 1987: Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart announces his withdrawal from the race as over 200 journalists and photographers crowd into a small room at a news conference in Denver, Col. Hart exited the race after media reports of an extramarital affair. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   A message from the American Heart Association: Kids in the U.S. drink more than 30 gallons of sugary drinks each year on average—enough to fill a bathtub. Sugary drinks help fuel an epidemic of chronic disease, increasing rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. It’s no accident – it’s a business model. The soda industry floods social media, video games, streaming services and schools with ads while it fights against proven solutions to reduce consumption—putting profits over people. Across America, communities are taking action to remove sugary drinks from SNAP, raise sugary drink excise taxes to lower sales and demand accountability for aggressive marketing to kids. This work is hard—soda companies spend millions to block them. But local leaders, parents and health advocates refuse to back down. By advocating for smart policies and urging community action, the American Heart Association is committed to curbing sugary drink consumption and protecting families' health.     Follow us on X Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   Follow us

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