As of: March 5, 2024, 10:22 p.m
By: Andreas Schmid
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Donald Trump wants to become the new, old US President?
What are his chances?
Former Washington correspondent Jan Philipp Burgard provides answers in an interview.
© Imago/ZUMA Wire/picture alliance/dpa/AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta/Welt (montage)
Will Donald Trump become US President again?
“At the moment the chances are not bad,” says Jan Philipp Burgard.
In the interview, the journalist talks about his current trip to the US.
The USA will elect a new president at the beginning of November.
Who the Republicans and Democrats will send into the race will not be officially decided until the summer.
Nevertheless, everything points to another duel between incumbent Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.
According to current US polls, Trump is currently slightly ahead of his former opponent.
“Super Tuesday” on Tuesday (March 5th) provides the first serious mood picture.
Then there will be simultaneous primaries in several US states.
The journalist Jan Philipp Burgard, editor-in-chief at Welt TV, was in the United States before “Super Tuesday” for a TV report to get an idea of the mood in the country.
In an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
, Burgard talks about his impressions.
Mr. Burgard, you attended several of Donald Trump's campaign appearances.
What did you experience there?
Whether his critics like it or not, Trump has the ability to win over crowds.
It was interesting to see how he deals with the numerous accusations against him.
How come?
He ridicules her.
“Did you know that I have more charges than Al Capone, the great man?” Trump shouted to the audience.
He literally described the trials against him as “bullshit”.
The crowd cheered and celebrated Trump for this.
What does this crowd look like?
Does the typical Trump voter even exist?
According to pollsters, it is primarily white, older men without a college degree who support Trump.
But we also met very different Trump voters on our filming trip through South Carolina.
For example, a black pastor who once voted for Barack Obama as a proud Democrat.
Today he believes that he sees parallels to the oppression of black people in the USA in the treatment of Trump by the judiciary and media.
We also spoke to a Hong Kong-born politics student who, while living the American dream as a migrant, admires Trump for his restrictive immigration policies.
In my opinion, the Trump electorate is more heterogeneous than many people believe.
Jan Philipp Burgard has been editor-in-chief of Welt TV since 2021.
© World
About the person: Jan Philipp Burgard is editor-in-chief of the news channel Welt. He can be seen regularly on TV as the presenter of the program “Welt Talk”. From 2017 to 2021, Burgard reported from the USA as an ARD correspondent. During this time he wrote his books “Man, America!” and “Dreamed Out, America?”, which became a bestseller.
Do we in Europe and Germany have to correct our image of Trump?
No, essentially we are experiencing the same Trump as in his first presidential election campaign in 2016. However, no one should make the mistake of underestimating him again.
What has changed since the last Trump-Biden election campaign?
I was shocked by how the spread of “fake news” has increased and how much disinformation has seeped into the minds of many Americans.
For example, when the camera was off, a Trump supporter told us with the utmost conviction that the Democratic Party leadership in Washington was drinking the blood of unborn babies in order to gain eternal youth.
We have heard the statement that the 2020 presidential election was manipulated very regularly.
According to polls today, six out of ten Republicans are still convinced that Trump's election victory was “stolen” and that the election was illegal.
Dozens of court rulings proving the opposite do not change this.
Trust in the judiciary and democratic institutions has been massively damaged by disinformation campaigns.
Is Biden still fit enough?
“The US President seemed tired and somewhat weak to me”
How did you experience looking at Joe Biden?
I was recently able to see Joe Biden for a few minutes in the Oval Office when Chancellor Scholz visited.
He had to read the few sentences he said in greeting to the press from thickly printed cards.
To me, the US President seemed tired and somewhat weak.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, when I was able to observe him in New Hampshire for a few days, I wondered how he would endure the unimaginable hardships of the campaign.
The president's health is a recurring topic.
Now he has had himself checked out.
He is “still fit for duty”, but suffers from various complaints such as sleep disorders or a “stiff gait”.
Does the 81-year-old Biden still have the strength for the exhausting election campaign?
Of course, in the end only Biden himself can judge that.
But according to a recent poll commissioned by The
New York Times
, the overwhelming majority of 73 percent of all registered voters believe Biden is too old to serve as president effectively.
In an election year, that's an alarming number.
So are the chances good for a new Trump presidency?
There are still eight months until the election, which is a very long time in American politics.
At the moment, Trump's chances are actually not bad.
He is leading in the polls in some often election-deciding states such as Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
All scandals and problems with the judiciary seem to bounce off him.
He even mobilizes his voters with it.
At an event we attended in South Carolina, Trump said, referring to the trials against him: “They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you.
In the end, they're not after me, they're after you.” This tactic apparently works.
What would Europe and Germany have to prepare for if Trump wins?
Whether Trump would actually lead the USA out of NATO is still unclear.
But I am sure that America will move further away from Europe on security policy issues and turn towards the Pacific region.
Incidentally, this development already began under President Obama.
In any case, Germany and Europe must assume more personal responsibility and invest even more in their own defense.
A new Trump presidency could also have serious consequences for Germany in terms of trade policy.
Trump has already announced flat-rate tariffs of ten percent on all imports.
That could be painful for our economy.
How does the USA generally view Europe and Germany?
My impression is that many average Americans are not particularly interested in foreign policy.
And the emotional connections to Germany have been steadily decreasing since there are no longer as many US troops stationed here.
However, studies show that the USA still considers Germany to be an important partner.
You show your experiences in a documentary for Welt TV.
It appears on Tuesday, “Super Tuesday” with groundbreaking primaries.
What is the significance of this day?
Super Tuesday is the climax of the primary election campaign; 16 US states vote simultaneously on the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.
Trump has won all previous primaries except for Washington DC and is leading in all relevant polls against his last remaining internal party challenger, Nikki Haley.
Major donors have already cut off Haley's money because they consider her campaign to be a failure.
I expect Trump to secure the Republican presidential nomination this Super Tuesday.
“TRUMP – The big comeback? Why so many Americans still love 'The Donald'”
– the report by Jan Philipp Burgard will run on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 8:15 p.m. on Welt TV and then in the media library.