In a remark at the US Department of State, Donald Trump dismantled Germany’s sitting Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz on four axes — immigration, energy, Ukraine, Iran. What is structurally interesting about this remark is not Trump. It is the asymmetry between what he is saying and what is being said about the same matters in the German public discourse.
On April 15, 2023, Isar 2 went offline. The nuclear power plant in Essenbach, one of the most modern and efficient in Europe, reliably produced electricity — without CO₂, without shortages, without significant incidents. It could have run for decades more.
There’s a familiar reflex when a German corporate giant announces layoffs: look for the villain in the executive suite. This time it’s Oliver Blume, cutting 50,000 jobs at VW while collecting bonuses. It’s a convenient narrative. It’s also true — but it explains nothing.
