Shortly before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, I lamented in my blog “La Land Is Burning Down” the expected damage that the new administration, on behalf of the American voters, would inflict on the reputation of the USA in the world and especially in Europe. Almost four weeks have passed since then, and the damage is much greater than feared. Entire alliances seem to be shifting, and with them the world order that, under American leadership, brought peace and security to Europe after the Second World War. The breaking news that is pouring in is a burden on all of us, but especially on the younger members of our society.
Four students from a Berlin high school in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district shared their thoughts with me after reading my blog in class. I want to give them space and a voice here.
Against hate and incitement
Ilias is shocked by the fact that a candidate who called Mexican immigrants without exception “rapists” and “criminals” during the 2015 election campaign was able to take over “probably the most responsible office in the world” for a second term. Ilias fears that German parties could take Trump’s inhumane, racist policies as a model and undermine the rule of law:
“These events worry me enormously as a German citizen with a migrant background myself. My Greek grandparents came to Germany after World War II to give their descendants, my father and his brother, a better life. A life of peace. A life of security. Over 70 years later, many people with a similar story now live in fear of what will happen if the AfD comes to power. What will happen to the countless people who have integrated into German society?”
Ilias’ fear is not unfounded. As early as November 2023, the non-profit media house Correctiv published information about a meeting of AfD representatives, supporters and donors in Potsdam, where their perfidious “master plan” for forced “remigration” was discussed. This should not only affect people seeking protection and immigrants in Germany, but also German citizens who have proven to be insufficiently “assimilated”. The reaction was immediate: around four million people demonstrated against the AfD’s racist plans between January and April 2024. Nevertheless, the party is forecast at 20% for the upcoming federal election.
Young people also support the AfD, as the recently published results of the U18-election show. Nationwide, more than 160,000 under-18s took part in the vote, which is one of the largest extracurricular educational initiatives in Germany. The aim of U18 is to inspire as many children and young people as possible to support parliamentary democracy. To the surprise of many, it was not the Greens who were ahead among young people, as was the case four years ago. This time the Left/Linke (20.8%) was in the lead, followed by the SPD (17.9%), the CDU/CSU (15.7%), the AfD (15.5%) and only then by the Greens (12.5%). In Saxony (32%), Saxony-Anhalt (30%) and Thuringia (35.2%), however, there is much stronger support for the AfD among future young voters.
Concern about our democracy
Emma, who sees Germany “facing one of the most important elections in terms of the country’s political direction in the coming years,” also observes these tendencies towards extremism. She notices a great deal of dissatisfaction with democracy among the population (40%), particularly in the eastern federal states mentioned above (52%). Nevertheless, Emma remains optimistic: “One bright spot, however, is that 98 percent of those surveyed fundamentally support the idea of democracy.” One just wonders what such a democracy would look like with a government that does not acknowledge the equality of all citizens in its view of humanity.
Emma is worried about the international networking of right-wing parties and also includes the new administration under Trump, as Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump financier Elon Musk are supporting AfD leader Alice Weidel in the election campaign. She complains: “Germany does not seem to have learned from Donald Trump’s first term in office, so that politicians who spread racist, sexist, homophobic and right-wing populist ideas are now among the most voted parties.”
A divisive gender policy
Vianne analyzes Trump’s two-gender policy as not only discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community. She fears that the fight for women’s equality will be set back by decades and that this will not only be at the expense of American women. Vianne’s concerns are very personal:
“For the coming school year, my sister has decided to spend a year abroad in the USA. When I consider all the factors I have just listed, I wonder if it is really the best idea to send a 15-year-old to a country where her future opportunities are deliberately suppressed. A country where she is second in importance. A country that sees itself as invincible but fails to care for its most vulnerable members. I am simply concerned that she will not have the same opportunities as everyone else her age during that year . . . Prejudice and injustice will stand in her way and make for tough days. The interpersonal struggle over gender and origin will make it difficult not only for her but for millions of others to build a life in the USA. . .. Therefore, it is important to me that my sister grows up with the right values so that she does not doubt herself later, and it is difficult to guarantee something like that when she moves to such a xenophobic and narrow-minded country.”
Vianne herself was an exchange student in Canada and knows the enrichment that such programs bring: “I spent a year abroad in Canada myself in 2022/23 and had one of the best times of my life. I was welcomed with openness and warmth and only had to deal with small everyday problems.”
American students in particular benefit from such “study abroad” programs, because a longer stay abroad is not financially possible for most of them. Nevertheless, the U.S. State Department has just announced a 15-day freeze on funds for established and highly valued exchange programs such as Fulbright, IDEAS and Gilman. This does not bode well. First and foremost, such a freeze reduces the chances of American students to get to know the world outside American borders. For a country that wants to engage in global politics, this is a disgrace.
The future of the EU and NATO
Anton is concerned about the economic competitiveness of Germany and the EU, as the Trump administration no longer sees the EU as an equal trading partner. He asks how our democratic and humanitarian values can be maintained in this unequal competition:
“We are clearly falling behind China and Russia in particular, but also competing with other regions like the Arabian Peninsula. This could affect our economy negatively, or affect innovation in Europe. This means that regions that ignore human rights or borders will be more important than Europe. Even though I am well aware of the fact that we’re no heroes or the world police, I still believe in our values and principles of a peaceful community. To see this being ineffective and uncompetitive makes me pretty sad to be honest. This is seen in this new world order with, e.g. China becoming inevitable for our whole economy. Additionally, this lack of competitiveness could lead to a lack of security long term.”
Anton does not believe that Trump’s demand for a 5 percent contribution of all NATO states in the common defense alliance is realistic, but sees the need to increase military spending because: ” I can’t imagine a world where Berlin, Paris or Brussels have fallen to Russia due to lacking military and economic strength.“
Shaping the future together
Anton, Emma, Ilias and Vianne are very worried. They recognize Europe’s dependence on the USA and what consequences Trump’s “America First” policy can have for us. In addition, they are worried about our environment, social cohesion and the direction our country, Germany, is heading in. They are not alone in this. According to the Shell Study 2024, more than 80 percent of young people in Germany are afraid of a war in Europe.
I share their concerns, but I also worry about these young people who will be steering our future in a few years. At the same time, their knowledge and their inner compass impress me greatly. And I draw strength from it
• when Ilias says: “Europe must act. We must act”;
• when Emma says: “But hope and belief in the good in people remain until the end”;
• when Vianne says: “Justice and equality concern us all.”
The Shell Study 2024 attests to the pragmatism and future-oriented optimism of the young generation: “Around three quarters of young people believe that Germany offers them every opportunity to achieve their life goals. They trust that everyone together as a society can create a future worth living.”
Many of us “Boomers” are highly qualified, well-connected and committed people who could support teachers in building a basic trust in our liberal and legal basic order, for example through mentoring or joint discussions. The American activist, journalist, professor and winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize Bill McKibben shows us how such support can succeed. He founded the organization “Third Act” in the USA:
“We had taken for granted the physical stability of our planet – and now its poles are melting. We had taken for granted the stability of our democracy and now people invade Congress to stop the counting of votes. We had taken for granted the slow but sure scientific progress of our society and now a third of the country does not want to take vaccines. (For those of us who can remember our polio jabs, that’s truly shocking.)
Since we’re complicit in this decay (there’s a reason young people started saying “OK Boomer”) we need to play a serious role in fixing it up.”
Let’s not leave young people alone with their worries. Let’s listen to them and give them a platform, as I am trying to do with this blog. Together, across generations, we should work towards a stronger Europe, a fairer world.
As Ilias says: “Make the world a better place again.”
My thanks go to Anton, Emma, Ilias and Vianne for their trust. And to their wonderful teacher Jens, who makes learning an experience.
Notes
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/potsdamer-treffen-remigration-afd-100.html
https://www.dbjr.de/artikel/u18-bundestagswahl-2025-endgueltiges-wahlergebnis
https://deutschland-monitor.info/fileadmin/Reports/
DeutschlandMonitor_24_Endfassung.pdf (Quelle Zufriedenheit der Deutschen Bürger)
