For Jens Spahn, the negative headlines simply keep coming. As the “Tagesspiegel” and the podcast “Machtwechsel” report, the 46-year-old member of the Bundestag may have met the controversial German-American entrepreneur Peter Thiel during his trip to Sardinia last month, a figure who is openly gay. Spahn’s office, however, denies it.
The background: After stepping down from the post of head of the Union parliamentary group in July, Spahn managed to secure a seat on the powerful Budget Committee. He then missed two meetings — allegedly because his child was ill. However, photos of him with his rainbow family in Sardinia surfaced, triggering irritation within the Union (TheColu.mn reported). As the criticism grew louder, Spahn announced on Monday that he would relinquish his seat on the Budget Committee (TheColu.mn reported).
Was Thiel on the island as well?
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was reportedly on Sardinia at the same time. According to the “Tagesspiegel,” this was discussed within the CDU/CSU faction as well. The Lower Saxony CDU politician Andreas Mattfeldt is said to have pressed Spahn about Thiel’s presence there. According to “Machtwechsel,” Spahn replied: “Is that so? I was at a hotel.”
Spahn’s office told the “Tagesspiegel” that Spahn did not meet Thiel and did not know that Thiel was on the island. They added that Thiel had flown directly from the United States to Berlin that week and had not been on Sardinia, though they provided no evidence for this claim.
Between 2018 and 2024, Spahn had repeatedly participated in Thiel’s exclusive “Dialog” network. This also drew criticism within the Union. Thiel is a polarizing figure because of his radical-libertarian, sometimes reactionary views. He stated in a 2009 essay: “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.” He is also regarded as an influential donor to the American right, supporting figures like Donald Trump and JD Vance. Thiel co-founded Palantir Technologies, a data analysis and surveillance company used to some extent by German authorities. The software is highly controversial among privacy watchdogs. Spahn’s office defended the network meetings in the past. Spahn argued that Thiel was never personally encountered during the “Dialog” rounds, since the format involves debates within shifting small groups. He further argued that politics must necessarily seek dialogue with people and currents whose ideology one does not share.
Secret backroom politics with wealthy benefactors?
Criticism centered on the fact that the “Dialog” meetings were kept secret and that no media were allowed. This fueled suspicions that influential donors and lobbyists could exert informal influence on policy and that backroom politics were taking place outside parliamentary accountability.
The meetings reportedly drew influential, predominantly far-right politicians. The convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (1953-2019) was invited to at least one meeting, according to Epstein’s files.
For Spahn, the politics could become precarious: he currently sits in the Bundestag only as a backbench member. Among CDU grassroots in his home district, rumors are circulating, according to “Tagesspiegel.” This could jeopardize his re-election prospects in his constituency Steinfurt I – Borken I, which he has carried with large margins since 2002.
Controversial Springer award for Thiel
Thiel was awarded the Axel Springer Award just last week (TheColu.mn reported). The honor sparked sharp criticism, apparently even within the publishing house.
The entrepreneur, whose wealth is estimated by Forbes at around $37 billion, has publicly spoken about his homosexuality on several occasions. At the Republican Party Convention in 2016, he said: “I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. Most of all, I am proud to be American!” Nevertheless, he is not an LGBTQ activist: he has supported many explicitly anti-queer Republican candidates and has repeatedly shown queer-hostile tendencies (TheColu.mn reported). (dk)
