Miosga's government's false start: "Major discrepancy between campaigner Merz and Chancellor Merz"

Election disgrace, migration dispute, Russia: Chancellor Friedrich Merz struggles to gain trust. In the ARD political show "Caren Miosga," his head of the Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, gets into trouble and is confronted with a "leadership problem."

After Friedrich Merz completed his first foreign visits, his head of the Chancellery is forced to revisit the images of the disgraceful first round of voting last week on "Caren Miosga." Thorsten Frei has to defend his boss, who is under pressure before the election even begins. The ARD talk show recognizes a "false start" for Merz and already dented confidence in the new chancellor and his coalition – despite positive images of a united, strong Europe during Merz's appearance in Kyiv.

Frei remains outwardly calm during Sunday evening's broadcast, but finds himself in uncertain waters for the first time when he has to justify the fact that not everyone in the new government was aware of the framework conditions surrounding the unsuccessful election for chancellor in the first round. The head of the Chancellery says that it was "discussed" in the run-up to the election that a second round would be more complicated. "But there's a lot of evidence to suggest that not everyone had it on their radar."

The damaged trust in the government, argues talk show host Caren Miosga, is also accompanied by disappointed voters who still accuse Merz of breaking his word on the debt brake and the investment package. "That wasn't a breach of promise; we had to react very flexibly to a very specific situation," Frei defends his boss. He points to US Vice President J.D. Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference and Donald Trump's humiliation of Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Merz must now deliver on the migration

"But you can't say that J.D. Vance's speech made Germany's bridges and roads more damaged," Armin Nassehi interjects with a wink, because the coalition's massive investment package is aimed not only at defense, but also at German infrastructure. The professor of political sociology criticizes the fact that the CDU often has "no clear concept" behind its actions. But people need that, because they "notice that the strong statements are at odds with reality." Nassehi recognizes a general loss of trust; many in Germany "don't trust any of the parties."

"There's a huge discrepancy between Merz the campaigner and Merz the chancellor," says Kerstin Münstermann. This concerns the next issue on which Merz is currently losing trust: migration. The head of the parliamentary bureau of the "Rheinische Post" newspaper finds it "almost funny" how strong Merz's words sounded, and "now he doesn't even dare to implement what he announced." After announcing the de facto travel ban, the chancellor backtracked after facing opposition from Poland and Brussels.

But Merz's statement that border controls would now be implemented like during last summer's European Championships "isn't true, because it's being rejected," says Münstermann. The Chancellor must now deliver and show how the numbers at the borders can truly be reduced. "The issue of migration still needs to be addressed within the government," the journalist concludes. She believes that strengthening Europe's external borders, especially Poland's border with Belarus, would make more sense.

There is room for improvement in competence

Nassehi even recognizes "a leadership problem." Merz's announcements on the issue of migration were far more ambitious than what could actually be implemented and "undermine trust in him further," the sociologist says. The democratic parties meet too rarely to develop real solutions instead of trumpeting "big promises." After all, it's perfectly acceptable to question whether closed borders are even a good thing. The number of asylum seekers is declining anyway, and the CDU needs a concept that "doesn't just encompass the semantics of rejection," otherwise it won't come across as competent. "And competence conveys trust," Nassehi says.

"There's still room for improvement in terms of competence," Münstermann quips at the new government. And indeed, Frei is once again floundering on the issue of migration. The head of the Chancellery squirms when Miosga repeatedly asks him how long asylum seekers will be turned back at the German border. "As short as necessary," says the CDU politician, adding that this still needs to be examined. He also refuses to commit to a target or a number, speaking of a "tolerable amount." "Your migration policy is very short-sighted," judges journalist Münstermann.

"No political overlap with the left"

When the discussion then turns to the Left Party and the CDU's incompatibility resolution, things really get heated again. Frei, who had hinted at a different line on ntv's Frühstart last week, still doesn't want to discuss political matters with the party, citing "no political overlap with the Left." "But Mr. Frei, that's just sugarcoating it," Münstermann interrupts. The new government will always need the Left Party's votes, for example on the debt brake, and besides, the CDU hasn't categorically rejected cooperation with the BSW. "That's not politically honest," the journalist says.

The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is also putting trust in Merz at risk. Together with the heads of government of France, Great Britain, and Poland, he is calling for a 30-day ceasefire – but what will the Europeans do if Vladimir Putin continues to bomb? "We need the ceasefire for the negotiations," Frei asserts. But when it comes to consequences and tightened sanctions, he has to admit that it's becoming increasingly difficult to "find points that hurt." Whether, for example, the EU will completely stop importing Russian gas or address Russia's frozen assets? The head of the Chancellery once again refuses to commit.

Friedrich Merz will deliver his first government statement before the Bundestag on Wednesday. The focus will be on the German economy, which will be the Chancellor's next test of confidence. There is no jubilation in Germany about the new government, Caren Miosga concludes her broadcast: "I hope the euphoria will come with results," says Thorsten Frei.