Leak of diplomatic cable highly critical of Donald Trump embarrasses Germany

It's a leak that comes at a bad time for Berlin, on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration. A diplomatic cable from the German ambassador in Washington, very critical of the American president-elect, was leaked to the press on Sunday January 20.

In this confidential internal note, with a particularly alarmist tone, addressed to his supervisory minister and published by the daily Bild, Andreas Michaelis is worried about seeing the foundations of American democracy undermined by Joe Biden's successor.

The diplomat mentions the “revenge plans” of the president-elect, denounces his “maximum disruption strategy” aimed at “redefine the constitutional order” in the United States. Andreas Michaelis says he is still concerned about the prospect of “maximum concentration of powers in the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states”as well as by the promise made to tech leaders to “participate in government”.

The head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, recipient of the note, confirmed its reality, while emphasizing that it was classified “secret” and should have remained so. “Of course embassies write reports, that’s their mission, particularly during changes of government to know what to expect. And naturally our embassy in Washington does it too”she said in the evening on public television when she was questioned on the subject.

“And the American president had already announced what he intended to do, in particular with regard to the decisions that will be taken in the future by the White House alone and the interventions in the field of justice and law. And we must, of course, prepare for it”tried to minimize the minister.

The conservative opposition benefits

The affair comes as the ambassador in Washington is due to represent the German government on Monday at the inauguration of Donald Trump. For the former German ambassador to Washington, and former director of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, “the leak is unfortunately toxic in the current situation” et “anything but welcome”because it risks robbing the new American government.

The leader of the German conservative opposition, Friedrich Merz, favorite in the polls for the chancellorship with a view to the next elections on February 23, was also moved to “the publication of a commentary from a German embassy full of criticism of all kinds and nonsense about the American president-elect”. “The American president and his government do not need Germany pointing the finger at them”he added during an electoral meeting.

Friedrich Merz, who is already trying to position himself as a privileged interlocutor for the new American administration, has been multiplying his messages of openness for several days. He thus stands out from the social democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who is more critical, in particular towards the billionaire Elon Musk, close to Donald Trump, whom he accused of threatening democracy through his support for European far-right parties. .

It will be necessary “working well with every US government, but the early signs we have are not encouraging”also hammered, Sunday, in the daily Bild the co-president of Olaf Scholz's social-democratic party, Lars Klingbeil. “We are reaching out to Donald Trump”more “it must be clear: if he refuses it, we will have to be strong and defend our interests”he added.

Germany fears being on the front line of trade war threats from the new American administration, at a time when Europe's largest economy is already in recession. Customs duties played a role “a central role in Donald Trump's communication”and it is therefore “very likely that a trade war will break out”warned a German director of the European Central Bank, Isabel Schnabel, on Sunday.