German ambassador warns Trump will 'undermine' democratic principles with 'maximum disruption' agenda: report
2025-01-19
Category: political

Germany’s ambassador to the U.S. has warned that President-elect Trump’s administration will "undermine" democratic principles with a "maximum disruption" agenda, according to a report. Reuters reported that it viewed a confidential briefing document signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis that describes the incoming Trump agenda as "a redefinition of the constitutional order - maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states." "Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power," reads the document, which was dated Jan. 14. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment but did not immediately hear back. TRUMP INAUGURATION: WHO IS EXPECTED TO ATTEND, AND WHO IS BOYCOTTING?  Michaelis said recent actions by Trump and billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk could lead to a "redefinition of the First Amendment."&nbsp; "One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and license revocation, the other is having algorithms manipulated and accounts blocked," the document reads, per Reuters.  Musk supported Trump throughout the election, and was tapped by the president-elect to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency.&nbsp; GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS Last month, Germany accused Musk of attempting to interfere in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country's far-right political party, German Alternative for Germany, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed doubling down on his endorsement. Meanwhile, Michaelis even claimed that Trump could force his agenda on states using broad legal options and that "even military deployment within the country for police activities would be possible in the event of declared 'insurrection' and 'invasion'."  The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, however, bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement unless Congress overrides the federal law. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite what Michaelis says in the reported document, the German foreign ministry has acknowledged Trump won the democratic election and said it will "work closely with the new U.S. administration in the interests of Germany and Europe."