Angela Merkel in the election campaign: world politics instead of riots

Station Airport, an old terminal at Düsseldorf Airport, now an event hall. The CDU NRW invited people to a New Year’s reception here on Saturday morning. A pianist and a saxophonist in black suits play easily digestible elevator music. Easy listening in half playback, below “Ain’t Nobody”. “Nobody loves me better, makes me happier, makes me feel this way, nobody loves me better than you”says the original by Chaka Khan. That’s how you feel here, especially as a CDU member, in the warm lap of the party mother.

QR codes are lined up on the blue video wall for the CDU appearances on Instagram, WhatsApp, X, Threads and Facebook. “Follow us”it says that the first-name virus has now also infected the Christian Democrats. Before that, the CDU’s own hopeful, Jens Spahn, gives the first interviews before the speakers arrive. Everything is very relaxed, you are in a winning mood.

First, an off-camera voice addresses the approximately 1,300 visitors: “Fasten your seatbelts”she calls, here “land” the same “Captain” Merkel. “Thank you for flying Union Air today.” This is how it continues. Metaphor overboarding, you might say

Then: disco beat by Avicii, “Good feeling”rhythmic clapping. The heroes move in: Hendrik Wüst, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Paul Ziemiak, General Secretary of the CDU state association. And Angela Merkel, the former chancellor with the aura of an all-rounder. It is the old lady’s only visit to a 2025 election campaign event.

She chose the CDU regional association of Hendrik Wüst, probably the man who has distanced himself the least from Merkel since her departure. As Prime Minister, he awarded her the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2023. And for both of them you can be absolutely sure that their loyalty to Merz comes more from a party soldier’s sense of duty, but not from full conviction. By the way, Merz also belongs to the NRW state association. But he didn’t come today.

The stage fills with young people. The Cologne youth choir St. Stephan performs the long-running hit “Hallelujah” by Leonhard Cohen. That’s probably it “C” be underlined in the party name. But the song will probably remain misunderstood forever; it is anything but Christian praise. It follows “Oh, happy day, when Jesus comes”. Today only Merkel is there, but she will be celebrated in a similar way to the Savior.

First speaker: Paul Ziemiak, general secretary of the CDU state association in North Rhine-Westphalia. He welcomes and welcomes and welcomes, deserving CDU members and representatives of other organizations, the mayor, and of course also the Green Vice Prime Minister Mona Neubaur, with whom things are going so well on the Rhine and Ruhr that many red-green parties also support themselves at the federal level wish. “Please take care of yourself first before you help others,” says Ziemiak, referring to the snack that follows. Laughs.

Then Wüst enters the stage and greets Merkel as a former member “Leader of the free world”. With her, Germany was better prepared for Trump than today. But Chancellor Merz could fix that, he was “the right person for these tasks”.

Wüst speaks quietly, calmly, sharply, without insulting. “Democracy as a whole has suffered incredible damage”he accuses the traffic light government. This “unbelievable constant arguments”. At the beginning the world laughed at it. But now? Germany must take leadership again in Europe. “Close friends have to become partners again.”

Wüst reminds us of the virtues of the young republic. Of the Adenauer promises that would have created trust in democracy. Which would have formed the foundation of the Federal Republic: security, prosperity, advancement through education. All of this is wrong. It’s no longer about “Little things”but around “fundamental decisions”. His conclusion: “Olaf Scholz was the wrong chancellor from day one.” The good news is: “There are only five weeks left.”

The choir sings again in front of Merkel: “You forgot the color film”by Nina Hagen. Merkel requested the song when she left as Chancellor.

She enters the stage, familiar look, purple jacket, black pants. First of all, she wishes the CDU the very best “Friedrich Merz receives the mandate”. A brief conciliatory word from a woman to a man with whom she had long been enemies.

Anyone who expected Merkel to swing the hammer will be disappointed. She is the world politician she was for 16 years. She makes no secret of how she dislikes the many people who despise the state and who are spreading throughout society. She calls on “to show your colors” in the increasingly complicated world. She invokes the European spirit that is the EU “our life insurance”: “Without the European Union we would be lost in this world of over eight billion people.” But she also names “climate-neutral economy” as one of the major goals that German politics must pursue. Some in the CDU have pushed it down the priority list.

Then she settles accounts with Putin, who… “Principle of inviolability of borders” have overridden. “The issue of war and peace is upon us again”she warns and relies on NATO as an antidote – with the USA. On “credible deterrent”. Two percent of the gross domestic product for military capability may not be enough.

She also settles accounts with Trump, whose first term in office she lived through and suffered through and who will seize US power again in two days: “He believes there is always only one winner and one loser.” On the other hand, she believes in cooperation and compromise: You can achieve more that way, “as if you just win alone”. Major efforts are now necessary “The traffic light government has not taken advantage of the opportunities in the three years”.

And then she gets philosophical. “Who are the people?”asks the woman under the call “We are the people” helped to end the GDR dictatorship. She argues about the responsibility of the state and citizens. Merkel quotes the administrative lawyer Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde: “The free, secularized state thrives on conditions that it itself cannot guarantee.” As a former GDR citizen, she says: “We wanted freedom and with it we also got responsibility.” Some in the audience who had come to celebrate are now visibly overwhelmed: they pick up their smartphones and check emails.

Then she goes into social media and fake news and disinformation campaigns. It’s needed here “State guidelines”. One should not fall for claims that freedom of expression should be restricted. Even in times of digitalization, the truth is the truth, and the lie remains a lie. If it were ever possible to divide the people, that would be it “the gap between the state and the people opened up.”

At the end she once again demands that people show their colors. To do everything possible to regain trust in the liberal state. “Otherwise, to use a word from my repertoire, we won’t make it.” Roaring applause. Standing ovation.

The youth choir again: “Joy of beautiful sparks of the gods.” Everyone stands up. Then the national anthem. And finally the Queen hit “Don’t stop me now”.

Merkel did not stop her possible CDU successor Merz this Saturday morning. But she didn’t lift him to heaven either.