Former Federal President Joachim Gauck warned Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) against resigning, stating that such an act would be “truly totally damaging.” Speaking to the video format “Spitzengespräch” of “Der Spiegel”, Gauck emphasized that the Chancellor’s departure would especially hurt the confidence of those who elected him, adding that “a residual trust would suffer heavily and be minimized even further.”
Furthermore, Gauck pointed out a “flagrant contradiction” between Merz’s public announcements and his actual political behavior. The former president is convinced that the criticism-which is coming from within Merz’s own ranks-is reaching the Chancellor and causing him conflict. “The Chancellor has heard so much criticism now that I cannot imagine anything other than what is going on in his head,” Gauck said.
Regarding the idea of stepping down, Gauck stated that Merz’s goal is to serve and benefit the country. He cannot picture a resignation happening, commenting harshly: “So if he wanted to do that now, he would be a complete political fool. He won’t do that. That won’t work; you can’t do that.”
