00:00Did Trump invite Alice Weidel to the White House?
00:07Social media users have been peddling the claim that US President Donald Trump
00:12invited the co-chair of the German far-right AfD party, Alice Weidel, for a White House visit.
00:17Some posts showing these claims have racked up thousands of views on X.
00:21But in reality, these allegations are misleading.
00:24Here's why.
00:25On the 26th of October, Republican US Representative Anna Paulina Luna shared a post on X asking
00:32Vidal to consider an invitation to the US and stating she wished to host her, along with
00:36other Congress members.
00:38On the 27th of October, Vidal responded to Luna thanking her for the invitation, stating
00:43that she would get in touch to discuss how to make the visit happen.
00:46A spokesperson for the Congresswoman confirmed to the Q that she was open to meeting with
00:50Vidal, adding that an AfD delegation would indeed make a visit in December.
00:54So, what's the difference between an invitation from a member of Congress and an official
00:59call from the White House?
01:01Well, meetings initiated by individual Congress members are considered partisan outreach rather
01:05than official diplomacy.
01:07An official state visit is the highest-level diplomatic trip a foreign leader can make to
01:11the US.
01:12Only the executive branch of the US government, which includes the White House and Trump,
01:16has the authority to conduct government-level engagement with foreign political actors.
01:21These visits are typically coordinated through the US State Department.
01:26Although Vidal has not received an official invitation from Trump this time round, her party
01:30has been working to bolster its ties with the US administration.
01:34The AfD's co-leader, Tino Schroppella, attended Trump's inauguration in January along with a
01:39delegation of other far-right political figures.
01:41Trump's former close ally Elon Musk has also repeatedly expressed his support for the AfD.
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