German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and CDU leader Friedrich Merz engaged in a heated TV duel on Sunday evening. While Scholz often referred to the global causes of economic problems, Merz emphasized the responsibility of the federal government. In a few points, the two showed commonalities, such as their approach to US President Donald Trump.
The 90-minute debate started with a question about mutual respect, which was quickly settled, with Scholz and Merz both claiming not to have taken offense at the other’s words. However, Scholz immediately accused Merz of “word breaking and taboo breaking” due to the CDU’s cooperation with the AfD in the Bundestag. Merz countered, saying, “There are no similarities between the AfD and the CDU” and “this cooperation will not happen.”
Instead, Merz criticized the Chancellor for not doing enough to combat irregular migration. “It has never been sharper laws than the ones I have implemented” Scholz said, adding that Merz’s proposals would violate European law.
After a brief half-hour, the next topic was brought up: the current economic crisis. Merz spoke of the country being in its third year of recession, accused Scholz of ignoring reality and spoke of a looming “deindustrialization.” Scholz countered, saying he had not started the war in Ukraine, it was Russia that had and that the proposed shutdown of nuclear power plants had little to do with the economic situation.
The topic of the care shortage saw Merz propose increasing the care allowance, but expressing skepticism about making the long-term care insurance a full insurance. Scholz advocated for a “linking” of the statutory and private health insurance and a “ceiling” of €1,000, while the CDU leader countered, saying he did not understand the Chancellor’s proposal.
The Chancellor and his challenger were also irreconcilable on the topic of the debt brake. Merz demanded that the state should manage with the almost €1,000 billion in revenues, as it had a responsibility to the next generation. Scholz advocated for a “reform” saying that one could not make cuts in the social sector now.
When asked about gender, Scholz spoke out against a ban, saying that everyone should be able to do as they pleased. He told a story about a woman who introduced herself as a “Maurer” (mason) and added, “I loved the woman.” Merz advocated for a ban and demanded that the authorities adhere to the official rules.
On the topic of Ukraine aid, the CDU leader said he had not expected the war to last so long and that one had to prepare for years to come, as Russia would continue to be aggressive against the West. Both Merz and Scholz were opposed to the possibility of Ukraine’s NATO membership.
In regards to US President Donald Trump, Merz said that many of the recent statements were not new and that it was important for Europe to stand together, even with the British. Scholz said that one had to take Trump seriously, as what he said, he meant. Therefore, he advocated for the NATO troops to be stationed on Greenland to counter the argument presented by Trump, that the island was not well-protected. If the US were to impose new tariffs on Europe, the EU would be prepared and could react within an hour.
The Chancellor became emotional when Merz accused him of not adequately funding the defense budget. Both were in agreement that one should strive to quickly reach the threshold of two percent of the gross domestic product, which would be used for defense, with Merz then demanding an additional increase to three percent. While the CDU leader suggested financing these plans through a growing economy, Scholz again advocated for a reform of the debt brake.