Former European Parliament president Martin Schulz voiced doubts on the Spiegel’s “Spitzengespräch” show that the November U.S. congressional elections will actually take place under President Donald Trump. “I think he provokes a rebellion” Schulz said. “He wants confrontation, only to argue later that in such a situation a normal election cannot be held”. Because of this, he says it is not yet guaranteed that the mid‑terms will proceed.
Schulz also accused Trump of using an escalatory policy by the ICE enforcement agency and the National Guard. “This brutal approach by ICE and other forces-including the National Guard he deployed-has an objective” the former SPD chancellor candidate explained. Trump, according to Schulz, aims to stir the other side into rioting so that he can later claim he didn’t authorize the crackdown; instead, he would say it was the “radical left” provoking the unrest.
Earlier, Christoph Heusgen, the former foreign‑policy adviser to Angela Merkel, described the election year as a critical test for the world’s oldest democracy. “I believe this year will be very critical” he told the audience, focusing on the mid‑term elections. If the Democrats take control of the House, he notes that there could be “ways to stop the president, even including impeachment proceedings”.
He also said it is conceivable that Trump could declare a state of emergency to block the vote, potentially invoking the Insurrection Act to halt the elections entirely. Schulz agreed with this assessment: “I see it the same way”. He added that Trump’s deliberate escalation is meant to produce a pretext against regular elections, a move that could have far‑reaching implications for the U.S. democratic order and for Europe, which must confront Trump’s America.
