Michaelis describes Trump’s vision as one focused on “concentrating as much power as possible in the hands of the president at the expense of Congress and the (American) states.” Key democratic institutions, including legislatures, law enforcement agencies and the media, risk having their independence undermined and “misused as political weapons,” according to the document.
The memo also highlights the involvement of big tech companies, which Michaelis claims could be granted “joint management rights.”
Publicly, the German Foreign Ministry has taken a cautious stance, acknowledging the democratic choice of American voters and expressing a willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment on the leaked memorandum.
“We will work closely with the new U.S. administration to serve the interests of Germany and Europe,” the Pentagon said in a statement to Reuters.
The ambassador’s internal evaluation is much more important. Anxiety in Berlin about the broader implications of Trump’s domestic policies could signal the beginning of a turbulent period in US-German relations under the interim government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and Bearbock’s Greens.
These anxieties are not new. Trump’s first term sparked controversy over trade tariffs and failure to meet NATO targets on Germany’s defense spending. Michaelis’ warning suggests the stakes are now much higher.
