The sigh of relief in Germany and Europe is great after the congressional elections in the USA. The Republicans are doing much weaker than feared. But those who are happy now should think again: Despite everything, the result is sobering.
Even if not all the votes have been counted, most people in Germany have probably already had a big load lifted from their hearts. In the "midterm" elections in the USA, it is already clear that the Democrats around President Joe Biden were definitely not overrun by the Trumpists. Its Republicans have not done nearly as well as many polls had promised them.
So now the relief is great, especially in Germany and Europe: Everything went well again. At least in America the good guys didn't lose badly.
But that is oblivious window dressing, and it shows how far down expectations of America have come. Because you have to read the (so far) result like this: The Republicans, who Donald Trump had so far had under control, have never come up with such blatant, bizarre candidates. And yet they narrowly won or narrowly lost their elections, with a few tens of thousands of votes making the difference. You could also say: coincidence.
Relief is out of place here.
In almost every US state, either slightly fewer or slightly more than half of the voters voted for the Republican candidate. Dozens of them are adamant that Trump won the last presidential election, was cheated, and that his followers' storming of the Capitol in Washington was somehow understandable. Dozens of candidates are convinced that all Democratic politicians are criminals and that President Joe Biden belongs behind bars. And almost all of the candidates are either ardent supporters of another presidential candidacy by Donald Trump or could warm to the idea.
Trump had pushed through Republican candidates of his choice in many states. Win or lose, the ex-president will, as usual, bend his truth to suit him. It is quite possible that he will declare his candidacy for 2024 in a few days. Then, at the next big election, it's about the US presidency, which is still the most powerful office in the world. And half of America can't get away from Trump or follow him blindly. You simply have to be afraid of Trump's return, because it will again depend on wafer-thin results - on chance.
And one can only hope that this time the German government is preparing for a possible President Trump. Some time after Trump's election, Angela Merkel said that American guarantees could no longer be relied upon one hundred percent. She was right, only practically nothing followed from it. Two years remain. This election in the USA is anything but an all-clear.
