From Berlin to Mar-a-Lago by Sabine Fischer

In a twist worthy of political theatre’s darkest comedies, Friedrich Merz, the man once touted as a center-right stabilizer for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has pivoted not just to the right, but straight off the geopolitical cliff, into the arms of a man whose vocabulary contains fewer words than a Berlin kebab menu. That man, of course, is Donald Trump.

Yes, that Trump. The same man who threatens to buy/invade Greenland, who has declare that he hates the EU and slowly but steadily dismantles US democracy. And yet, Merz has gone from cautiously disagreeing with Trumpism to now humming along to “Make America Great Again” like a karaoke tragic at a Bavarian beer fest.

Friedrich Merz, heir apparent to the legacy of Angela Merkel, the steely pragmatist who steered Europe through the financial crisis, the refugee crisis, and the tantrums of populism, has instead decided that the best course of action in this precarious global moment is to cosplay as a Mar-a-Lago enthusiast. Somewhere, Merkel is probably gripping her coffee mug so tightly it’s turned into a diamond.

But this is no laughing matter. This is Europe’s political center playing Russian roulette with a MAGA hat on.

In recent weeks, Merz has not only softened his tone on Trump; he’s veered into praise. He lauds Trump’s “unapologetic leadership,” as if erratic tweeting and dog-whistling are now prerequisites for European statesmanship. He speaks admiringly of Trump’s “America First” doctrine, promising to recalibrate Germany’s and Europe’s positions accordingly. Suddenly, multilateralism is passé. NATO is optional. Climate agreements are “inconvenient.” And the European project? Well, that’s just Brussels bureaucracy standing in the way of populist swagger.

Merz doesn’t just support Trump’s ideas. He glorifies them. He doesn’t merely echo policies; he reveres the man. Trump isn’t an ally, he’s a messiah. Watching Merz now is like witnessing a technocrat speaking in tongues at a MAGA revival.

But while Merz prays at the altar of Trumpism, he’s throwing Europe under the bus, lighting the Treaty of Rome on fire, and using the ashes to polish his new “America First” lapel pin. Let’s be clear: mimicking Trump’s policies in a European context is not only tone-deaf, it’s dangerous.

Europe isn’t a playground for nationalism. It’s a continent that saw the abyss and spent decades building bridges from its ashes. Trumpism, on the other hand, is about tearing those bridges down, one tweetstorm at a time.

Take Trump’s stance on NATO: a transactional protection racket where the highest bidder gets the shield. Or his trade policy: tariffs and tantrums. Or his diplomatic doctrine: flattery for autocrats, fury for allies. These aren’t blueprints for European strength; they’re a roadmap to continental chaos.

And yet, Merz marches forward, emboldened not by conviction but by the intoxicating perfume of populist approval. He sees AfD voters drifting rightward and thinks: If I wear the red hat, maybe they’ll come home. But in doing so, he forgets that Trumpism doesn’t convert, it consumes. It doesn’t build, it burns.

And while Merz drapes himself in nationalist theatre, Germany’s role as Europe’s anchor becomes increasingly fragile. We’ve seen this film before, and it doesn’t end with credits, it ends with craters.

To all those who once hoped Merz would be a modern Helmut Kohl—a steward of integration and stability, this must feel like a betrayal. Instead of unity, he’s flirting with fragmentation. Instead of leadership, mimicry. Instead of Europe, Trump.

In a political moment defined by uncertainty, the last thing we need is a German chancellor-in-waiting who thinks the future lies in the hands of a man indicted more times than some dictators. The CDU should be the ballast in stormy seas, not the ship drunkenly following the MAGA fleet into isolationist fog.

Europe deserves better than a Trump echo. It deserves a voice, firm, independent, and grounded in values not vanity. If Merz continues down this path, he won’t be remembered as the man who modernized the CDU, but as the one who MAGA’d it into irrelevance.

In the end, Friedrich Merz may well find that Trumpism is not a ladder to power in Europe, it’s a trapdoor. And when history writes its verdict, it won’t be kind to those who traded integrity for imitation.