It was a turning point in the German federal election campaign in 2021: The CDU candidate for Chancellor and former Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet (60), visits the flood area in Erftstadt together with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (65).
While Steinmeier worriedly addresses the media and talks about the dramatic situation and the flood victims, Laschet jokes in the background with his companions. The pictures cause outrage across the country’s borders, the polls are falling rapidly, the Union loses the federal election in September. The reason for the faux pas has so far remained a secret.
Laschet laughed at height and journalists
Now the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” reports on the basis of information from some participants how the unsuitable outbreak of cheerfulness came about. Accordingly, Laschet is said to have stood a little apart with a group of politicians. But it only got funny when Laschet turned to Frank Rock (CDU), who was standing next to him, and jokingly criticized him for welcoming the Federal President.
Because Rock only welcomed the head of state with “Mr. Steinmeier” and not with “Mr. Federal President”. Rock replied to Laschet that he was so surprised that Steinmeier is “as small as you”. Laschet apparently found that very funny.
In addition, the group around Laschet – and later Steinmeier himself – was amused by the fact that reporters sometimes dislocated themselves in a bizarre manner in order to hold their microphones close to the speakers without being in the picture of the cameramen. The chancellor candidate also did not understand acoustically what Steinmeier was talking about at that moment. He was also not aware that the cameras were looking at him.
His image as a joker at the most inopportune moment became his political undoing despite apologies. He lost the election for Chancellor in October against SPD politician Olaf Scholz (63). (chs)
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