"Maximum disruption"

German ambassador to the USA warns against Trump

Ambassador Andreas Michaelis (right), fears a fundamental change in the US political order under Trump.

(Bild: AFP/Roberto Schmidt)

According to a document, the German ambassador to the USA fears that future US President Donald Trump and his administration will fundamentally change the country's political order. Trump is pursuing an agenda of "maximum disruption", according to the document.

Trump's agenda means a "maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states", according to a confidential analysis for the German government, which was made available to the news agency Reuters. The paper is dated January 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis.

According to the analysis, Trump is pursuing an agenda of "maximum disruption". Basic democratic principles and the system of checks and balances would be largely undermined. Legislature, law enforcement and media would be deprived of their independence and politically abused.

Large technology companies (big tech) would be given "co-governing power". Trump and his advisor Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the short message platform X, are already taking action against critics and disagreeable media companies.

Supreme Court could prevent the worst
In his analysis, Ambassador Michaelis attributes a central role to the US judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, in the domestic political conflicts expected as a result of Trump. Even if the Supreme Court has recently expanded presidential power, even the biggest critics expect it to prevent the worst.

According to the paper, criminal prosecution is becoming an instrument of politics. Control over the Department of Justice and the FBI is central to the implementation of Trump's goals such as mass deportations, retaliatory measures and securing his legal sanctity.

In conflicts with federal states, which traditionally have far-reaching powers in the USA, Trump has far-reaching options, for example through emergency regulations. Domestic military deployment for police duties is also possible.

No comment from the Federal Foreign Office
When asked about the document, the German Foreign Office stated on Saturday that it does not comment on internal papers, analyses or embassy reports as a matter of principle. The USA is one of Germany's most important allies. The US population had voted for Trump in a democratic election.

"Of course, we will also work closely with the new US administration in the interests of Germany and Europe," the statement said. "As the German government, we maintain a close network of relationships in the USA across the breadth of society, in the states and in the US Congress across party lines." Trump's staff did not comment initially.

The Republican Trump will take over the office of the most powerful politician in the world from the Democrat Joe Biden on Monday. The German government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz had largely refrained from direct public criticism since Trump's election.