The President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany (AmCham Germany) and Supervisory Board member Simone Menne sees Europe well-equipped for a possible second term of Donald Trump as US President. “Only because Mr. Trump says, then I won’t do that with you, we shouldn’t give in” Menne said in the podcast “So techt Deutschland” of the ntv sender. “Then one should say: Look, you see what you do without Europe, if you don’t make any business with China either.”
The economic expert advises calmness in the face of many announcements from the Trump camp. “We have seen in the first term that it never came as disruptively as it was announced” Menne claimed. She expects that many of the announced radical measures will not be implemented, as they would also harm the US economy.
In preparation for possible scenarios, Menne recommends looking at the state level, just as Trump likely sees what he can do with Italy’s Minister of the Interior, Giorgia Meloni, or Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. Europe and China are huge markets for the US. The United States, however, no longer have much industry. And then Europe needs to stay united and can “take a certain self-assurance in its stride” Menne demanded.
Regarding political changes, Menne warns against extreme solutions. “I find it very dangerous when people say we need a big bang, because that’s really what people say: Ah, that’s the way of the world.” Instead, she sees crises as an opportunity for necessary changes.
Despite current challenges, Menne remains optimistic. “We must get people to vote. We must go more into the discourse and say what’s not going well, if we elect the wrong parties.” She referred to the importance of local politics and called for more engagement. “Everyone is also called upon to do a little something for politics.