Caren Miosga: Annalena Baerbock stumbles when asked a question

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) was just emphasizing on “Caren Miosga” that she would “like to continue working with the USA” under Trump when the moderator showed her a punctured secret document from her own company. In it, the German ambassador in Washington DC warns Baerbock’s ministry in clear terms: Trump wants to “largely undermine” basic democratic principles and restrict freedom of expression. “Do you talk about Donald Trump internally like that?” asks Miosga Baerbock. She is initially annoyed that the paper became public – and then admits her own concerns: “We saw the storming of the Capitol, we saw the proposals for the Minister of Justice.”

Even during Trump’s first term in office, German-American relations were rocky, to say the least. The new diplomatic scandal shortly before Trump’s inauguration suggests that things could continue the same way in the second term. “Outrageous,” calls the paper Trump advisor Kenneth R. Weinstein, who is connected to Miosga from Washington. And the former German ambassador to Washington, Wolfgang Ischinger, says: “This leak is toxic.” The Europeans want so many things from Trump: security guarantees, a commitment to NATO, a say in the announced peace negotiations for Ukraine.

On the subject of Ukraine, Baerbock scores points with Trump advisor Weinstein by repeating a controversial demand: German soldiers could, at least as part of a blue helmet mission, protect the Ukrainian border from future Russian aggression after the end of the war. “Of course, as the largest country, we also have to bear responsibility for this peace,” she says. According to Weinstein, this shows that Europe now wants to ensure its own security.

And the USA? “I don’t see any option for ground troops, there’s too much at stake,” says the Trump adviser. The tenor: Trump wants to negotiate a peace treaty, the risks of which will then be borne by the Europeans. Miosga asks almost desperately: The Americans wouldn’t abandon the Europeans? “Of course not!” Weinstein assures us exuberantly. Baerbock seems skeptical: several times in the show she demands that Europe must protect itself better from now on.

The Foreign Minister was a guest on Miosga’s talk show for the fourth time on Sunday – perhaps because she hasn’t had to be afraid of particularly critical questions there before. Miosga patiently let the Foreign Minister talk about travel encounters in the past, mostly with the poor and weak of this world – and about her perspective as a mother. This is apparently over now. Miosga doesn’t want to let Baerbock get away with anything in the election campaign.

Right at the beginning, Miosga Baerbock grills Robert Habeck’s proposal to levy social security contributions on capital gains. He wants to stabilize the pension system. Savers are already worried about their deposits, on whose profits they already pay capital gains tax. Baerbock sees the criticism as primarily Green bashing: “Everyone is shooting at us again.” But like her party colleagues, she cannot or does not want to explain to whom the new tax obligation should actually apply. First of all, private and statutory health insurance must be integrated, she says.

“The top Greens have been trying to explain this proposal all week and have been unable to do so,” counters Miosga, adding that the proposal is apparently completely half-baked. And at the same time, Robert Habeck accuses the Union of not having fully developed its proposals. Quote: “The Union is cheating the voters.” Miosga: “Now you’re screwing over the voters!” Baerbock snippy: “No. We say it’s complex.”

It seems bizarre this evening that neither Baerbock nor Miosga mention the biggest news of the day: that Hamas released three hostages and that Israeli jets have stopped dropping bombs over Gaza since Sunday afternoon. During numerous visits to the Middle East, Baerbock had insisted on an end to the war in Gaza – this has now been achieved, at least for the time being, by Donald Trump. Before his inauguration, he had a special envoy sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for a peace treaty originally proposed by Joe Biden.

Joe Biden had repeatedly criticized the Israeli Prime Minister with harsh words, and Baerbock reportedly clashed violently with Netanyahu in April. Trump’s man in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, however, let his actions speak for themselves: He asked Netanyahu to meet him on Shabbat. A clear affront, but Netanyahu came. Shortly afterwards the deal was signed. Donald Trump wanted peace in the Middle East, he got peace in the Middle East.

And so it seems almost bizarre when Baerbock says on “Miosga”: “NATO also acts as one with a view to the Middle East.” One can assume that Trump did not discuss his – obviously effective – rapid-fire diplomacy with the German Foreign Minister.