| German politicians from all sides of the political spectrum have expressed shock and dismay at the news of the attack on former US President Donald Trump Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it “despicable” and wrote “Such acts of violence threaten democracy” on the platform X. Political pundits in Germany agree in their assessment that the assassination attempt is likely to give Trump’s campaign a boost. Chancellor Scholz is seen as a staunch ally of US President Joe Biden and his center-left Social Democrat Party SPD is still banking on a Biden election victory. However, SPD foreign policy spokesman Nils Schmid is also leading a delegation to the Republican Convention in Milwaukee this week to “gain first-hand impressions and pick up on moods.” He told RND network: “We want to be better prepared for a possible Trump election victory than we were eight years ago.” This came after leading members of Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats who are hoping to retake power after Germany’s general election next year criticized the current government for not being sufficiently equipped for a second Trump term in office. The CDU’s former Health Minister Jens Spahn is one of the CDU delegates attending the Republican Convention and has stressed similarities between Trump’s positions and those of his party on Israel, China, Iran and North Korea as well as irregular migration. Gauging the mood at the RNC Jens Spahn told DW’s Washington Bureau Chief Ines Pohl that he sees similarities between the Republicans and the CDU that could form the basis for closer cooperation. DEPLOYING ROCKETS AND SHARING INFORMATION Germany and Europe rely heavily on the US for their security. US military has had a presence here since the end of World War II. Now, US long-range weapons are to be deployed in Germany for the first time since the 1990s. DW’s Christoph Hasselbach has looked into what some see as a new arms race. As if to underline the special transatlantic relations, CNN broke two stories last week that reverberated in Germany. First, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock chose to make public her decision not to put herself forward as her environmentalist Green Party’s top candidate in next year’s German general elections during a CNN interview. This move indicates that Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck will see his ambition fulfilled to be nominated as the candidate for the top job. Later in the week, CNN reported of a Russian plot to assassinate the CEO of German arms-maker Rheinmetall — which Russia quickly dismissed as “fake” and which German authorities have declined to confirm. Armin Papperger, 61, heads the publicly traded company specializing in automotive and arms manufacturing. The company is a major producer of military hardware for Ukraine and has been operating a repair facility there for combat vehicles. It has plans to open Ukrainian plants for the production of ammunition and armored vehicles. In May, Papperger called for the creation of a joint European competitor to industry giants such as US manufacturers Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. DW’s Dirk Kaufmann explains what may have made Rheinmetall become a target. News Credit : DW News |
German politicians scramble to network with Republicans in the US, as Berlin relies on its transatlantic partner for security and the flow of information; Germany is debating whether to continue border controls – and the only trains that are running reliably are those of Hamburg’s Miniatur Wunderl
