Sabine Siebold and Friederike Heine
Sat, January 18, 2025
REUTERS
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump administration will rob U.S. law enforcement and the media of their independence and hand big tech companies "co-governing power", according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.
The briefing document, dated Jan. 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump's agenda for his second White House term as one of "maximum disruption" that will bring about "a redefinition of the constitutional order - maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states."
"Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power," it says.
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Trump's transition team had no immediate comment on the ambassador's assessment.
The German foreign ministry said U.S. voters chose Trump in a democratic election, and it would "work closely with the new U.S. administration in the interests of Germany and Europe."
The outgoing government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has largely refrained from direct public criticism of Trump since the election, but the ambassador's confidential assessment offers a blunt view from a senior German official.
Ambassadors are not replaced automatically with the formation of a new government, unless a change is deemed necessary for diplomatic or other reasons.
The document cites the judiciary, and especially the U.S. Supreme Court, as central to Trump's attempts to further his agenda, but says that despite the court's recent decision to expand presidential powers, "even the biggest critics assume that it will prevent the worst from happening."
Michaelis sees control of the Justice Department and FBI as key to Trump reaching his political and personal goals, including mass deportations, retribution against perceived enemies and legal impunity.
He says Trump has broad legal options to force his agenda on the states, saying "even military deployment within the country for police activities would be possible in the event of declared 'insurrection' and 'invasion'."
The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act bars the federal military from participating in domestic law enforcement, with some exceptions.
Michaelis also foresees a "redefinition of the First Amendment," saying Trump and billionaire X owner Elon Musk are already taking actions against critics and non-cooperating media companies.
"One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and licence revocation, the other is having algorithms manipulated and accounts blocked," he says in the document.
Musk's repeated endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of the Feb. 23 national election has drawn ire in Berlin, but the government has stopped short of unanimously leaving his platform.
Berlin endured a particularly difficult relationship with the United States during the first Trump administration, facing costly tariffs and criticism over its failure to meet the NATO target on defence expenditure.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
German ambassador to US issues stark warning on Trump administration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump administration will rob U.S. law enforcement and the media of their independence and hand big tech companies "co-governing power", according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.
The briefing document, dated Jan. 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump's agenda for his second White House term as one of "maximum disruption" that will bring about "a redefinition of the constitutional order - maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states."
"Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power," it says.
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Trump's transition team had no immediate comment on the ambassador's assessment.
The German foreign ministry said U.S. voters chose Trump in a democratic election, and it would "work closely with the new U.S. administration in the interests of Germany and Europe."
The outgoing government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has largely refrained from direct public criticism of Trump since the election, but the ambassador's confidential assessment offers a blunt view from a senior German official.
Ambassadors are not replaced automatically with the formation of a new government, unless a change is deemed necessary for diplomatic or other reasons.
The document cites the judiciary, and especially the U.S. Supreme Court, as central to Trump's attempts to further his agenda, but says that despite the court's recent decision to expand presidential powers, "even the biggest critics assume that it will prevent the worst from happening."
Michaelis sees control of the Justice Department and FBI as key to Trump reaching his political and personal goals, including mass deportations, retribution against perceived enemies and legal impunity.
He says Trump has broad legal options to force his agenda on the states, saying "even military deployment within the country for police activities would be possible in the event of declared 'insurrection' and 'invasion'."
The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act bars the federal military from participating in domestic law enforcement, with some exceptions.
Michaelis also foresees a "redefinition of the First Amendment," saying Trump and billionaire X owner Elon Musk are already taking actions against critics and non-cooperating media companies.
"One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and licence revocation, the other is having algorithms manipulated and accounts blocked," he says in the document.
Musk's repeated endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of the Feb. 23 national election has drawn ire in Berlin, but the government has stopped short of unanimously leaving his platform.
Berlin endured a particularly difficult relationship with the United States during the first Trump administration, facing costly tariffs and criticism over its failure to meet the NATO target on defence expenditure.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
German ambassador to US issues stark warning on Trump administration
DPA
Sun, January 19, 2025
Then US President Donald Trump speaks at the start of a meeting on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Watford. Michael Kappeler/dpa
Germany's ambassador to the United States has issued an unusually stark warning to the government concerning major changes likely to occur in US policy following the inauguration of Donald Trump as president.
In a diplomatic cable addressed to the chancellery, the Foreign Office and the Interior Ministry, seen by dpa on Sunday, Ambassador Andreas Michaelis writes that the Trump 2.0 Agenda will cause "maximum disruption."
The cable refers to a breakup of the established political order and bureaucratic structures and to plans for vengeance, terming them a "redefinition of the constitutional order."
This would imply "maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the states," Michaelis writes ahead of Trump's inauguration on Monday.
"Fundamental democratic principles, along with checks and balances will be undermined as far as possible, the legislature, law enforcement and media robbed of their independence and misused as political arm, and big tech will gain co-governing authority," Michaelis wrote.
In his summary, Michaelis did not explicitly mention Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, a close adviser to Trump, but he did name him later on in an individual analysis.
The five-page cable carries the lowest of four confidentiality ratings meaning that it is intended for government officials only and not for wider publication.
The Foreign Office in Berlin said it did not comment on internal documents as a matter of principle, but added that the US was one of Germany's closest allies.
"The Americans have voted for President Trump in a democratic election. We will of course cooperate closely with the new US administration in the interests of Germany and Europe," it said.
It added that the German government maintained a network of relations with broader society, in the states and in Congress across party lines.
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