“I responded as Albert Rösti, but I am aware that a federal councilor must not speak or discuss foreign elections.” The Bernese federal councilor returned on Sunday evening on the 7:30 p.m. set of RTS, on his displayed support for Donald Trump. But he declined to comment further on his remarks.
We remember that Albert Rösti said last Tuesday that he leaned more towards the Republican candidate for the White House. He spoke during a speech in a Basel school, responding to a student who asked his opinion on the presidential election in the USA. “He is the only president who has not led America to war during four years” of his mandate, he justified, stressing that for him “the war in Ukraine cannot continue like this”. However, he clarified that Donald Trump’s personality bothered him.
Even if they were not made in an official setting, the federal councilor’s remarks provoked a number of reactions. Notably that of Emile Blant, Green MP and 1st vice-president of the Neuchâtel Grand Council, who called the Bernese federal councilor a “fascist” on X. The man, who is also the personal assistant of the Neuchâtel State Councilor Céline Vara, candidate for the Executive of her canton in March 2025, then apologized. And he had his shoulder lifted by the chosen one.
Political scientist Michael Hermann found the minister’s comments problematic. “The Federal Council must show a lot of restraint, not choose a side. It’s very clumsy, especially on the eve of the elections,” he said on RTS.
But Albert Rösti also received the support of his party. Indeed, Swiss SVP President Marcel Dettling also expressed support for Trump, arguing that Switzerland was better off under Republican presidents.
