“Hitler’s son! Nazi!” – why Merz keeps making mistakes

There are tasks that I personally prefer to avoid. For example: Go to the COP30 climate conference in Brazil and provoke the mayor of Rio to such an extent that he insults you via tweet: “Hitler’s son! Bastard! Nazi!” Friedrich Merz did. Without thinking, it wasn’t meant as a compliment.

He often doesn’t think enough before speaking. I want to warn you: It’s not just recklessness that he now seems to seek out with regularity. This is also related to the discourse space around it, which has increasingly narrowed in recent years.

Why should he reject Brazil too?

Whatever the case, in Brazil this was actually his own fault: First, in a background session at the conference site in Belém, he asked the journalists traveling with him: “Which of you would like to stay here?” – and then looked pleased when no one raised their hand. Translated, it might mean something like: “Even you have to admit that Germany is a much more beautiful country.” Journalists were silent about the incident. It wasn’t recorded.

But then Merz couldn’t think of anything more stupid than repeating the anecdote at a public conference at home. And as it stands today, the message and its echoes spread across the planet several times in an ad hoc manner. Brazil expressed its anger, even to President Lula da Silva. Including Nazi accusations from Rio.

Friedrich Merz’s three misconceptions

Merz didn’t understand three things. First: He is now Chancellor, no longer in opposition. Kick someone out and run away – that’s no longer possible. Words like “little pasha” or “social tourism” are no longer helpful. You just have to behave better as head of government. More respect. Especially when it comes to entire countries.

In the summer, he defended Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by saying that Israel was doing its “dirty work” for the West. Yes, you can think so. But as Chancellor of Germany, you shouldn’t say it as if you were standing on a compost heap wearing rubber boots.

Second: by 2025 there will be no more protected areas. It didn’t matter whether he appeared at an industrialist’s club, at a “Maischberger” or at a Franconian shooting festival – someone always delivered him. What is said is spoken and – third – immediately scanned by the opponent for potential upset. No one asks politely anymore: Did you really mean it when you received the message?

The pattern can be seen in the failure of “Cityscape.”

His “city view” statement, for example, reveals a pattern: by exaggerating things, Merz sometimes makes existing problems understandable, but at the same time unsolvable because he can no longer find a way out of the current storm. Then we paddled back and forth a bit until everyone was oblivious to the real problem.

Anyone who has ever witnessed a parade on Christopher Street Day probably thinks of a circus. But as Chancellor, you should at least not reject the rainbow flag in parliament on the grounds that: “The Bundestag is not a circus tent.” There would be much smarter arguments against the flag.

The world has changed. He generally becomes louder and more sensitive at the same time. Unfortunately, Merz has not changed. In this case, he persistently opposes his own way, believing that he can always find the right words. No, unfortunately he didn’t, which brings me to the question: What exactly does his government spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, do?