AfD Tino Chrupalla Demands US Troop Withdrawal Germany 2026

Published: March 30, 2026. The English Chronicle Desk.

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The co-leader of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Tino Chrupalla, has ignited a fresh diplomatic firestorm by demanding the “complete and immediate” withdrawal of all US military personnel from German soil. Speaking at a high-stakes party congress in Saxony this past weekend, Chrupalla argued that the presence of roughly 38,000 American troops is a “legacy of occupation” that prevents Berlin from pursuing a truly sovereign foreign policy. The timing of the demand is particularly sensitive, coming as the AfD surges in the polls following a record-breaking 19.5% result in the Rhineland-Palatinate state elections—the very region that houses the strategically vital Ramstein Air Base.

Chrupalla’s rhetoric has shifted toward a model of “armed neutrality,” pointing to Spain’s recent restrictions on US base usage as a blueprint for Germany. “We must stop being the staging ground for wars that are not ours,” Chrupalla told a cheering crowd, specifically referencing the escalating US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The AfD’s official platform now explicitly calls for the removal of all allied forces and, crucially, the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons stationed at Büchel. This “Germany First” approach to defense is gaining traction among a segment of the electorate weary of being caught in the crossfire of a “New Cold War,” even as mainstream parties warn that such a move would dismantle the bedrock of NATO’s collective defense.

The demand for withdrawal is being echoed across the Atlantic, albeit for very different reasons. Reports from Washington suggest that President Trump is “seriously considering” a significant drawdown of forces in Germany, frustrated by what he perceives as Europe’s “free-riding” on defense. With the White House reportedly floating a new 5% GDP spending target for NATO members to retain voting rights, the AfD’s calls for an American exit are finding an unexpected, if accidental, ally in the “America First” administration. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dismissed Chrupalla’s demands as “dangerous populism,” moving instead to triple Germany’s defense budget to €153 billion by 2029 in a desperate bid to keep the Americans from leaving.

For the AfD, this anti-base stance is a central pillar of their 2029 “Strategy for Power.” By framing the US presence as “neocolonialism”—a term once reserved for the far-left but now effectively co-opted by Chrupalla—the party is attempting to build a broad nationalist coalition. As the oil price hits $116 and the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, the question of whether Germany remains a “loyal aircraft carrier” for the US or strikes out on an independent, and arguably more precarious, path has become the defining issue of German politics. With five regional elections looming later this year, the AfD’s “Yankee Go Home” message is no longer a fringe slogan; it is a direct challenge to the post-war European order.

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