Joe Biden will not run for a second term. German politicians bowed to the 81-year-old. But malice was heard from one party.
Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race is also causing a stir in political Berlin. Shortly after the announcement that he would not run for a second term, several German politicians spoke out and paid homage to the incumbent president. An overview:
Joe Biden withdraws from presidential race – political Berlin bows
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed on X: “My friend Joe Biden has achieved a lot: for his country, for Europe, for the world. Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong, and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves recognition.”
The CDU member of the Bundestag Norbert Röttgen stated on X: “President #Biden has corrected his mistake of running again late, but not too late. That too deserves the greatest respect. The Democratic Party now has the chance to turn the election campaign around again.”
The Green Party leader Ricarda Lang wrote: “Joe Biden has served his country in an impressive way as President. And he is doing the same with this step. My utmost respect!”
The SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner declared that it was an “expected bombshell in the USA”. In the end, there was no alternative and it was necessary in order to defeat the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz also expressed his respect: “Joe #Biden has served the American people for more than five decades. His decision today deserves the utmost respect.”
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth (SPD), called Biden on X in English a “president to whom we in Europe and Germany owe a lot”. “The end is tragic and does not do justice to his life’s work.” Roth, who himself had announced his retirement from politics next year, continued, “it does not seem to be easy in politics to find the right moment to say goodbye”.
The FDP European politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann sees Biden’s withdrawal as a new opportunity for his Democrats. “The Democrats can still win the election,” Strack-Zimmermann told the “Rheinische Post”.
AfD reacts with malice and conspiracy myths
The AfD, on the other hand, was full of malice. The Bundestag MP Beatrix von Storch commented that she regretted “#Biden’s decision not to run for president. He was the best campaigner #Trump had.” She also said: “And to all those who are only now thinking that the decision was right because Biden is obviously demented: HE HAS BEEN FOR YEARS. Obviously.”
Her party colleague expressed similar views Björn HöckeHe even resorted to conspiracy myths, according to which it was ultimately too obvious in the case of Joe Biden “that he was just a puppet for others who prefer to stay in the background. But if the puppet no longer has a chance of crossing the finish line despite the concentrated power of the media, it just has to go.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
