Exclusive-German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order, document shows By Reuters

By Sabina Siebold and Friederike Heine

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s ambassador to the United States has warned that a future Trump administration would strip U.S. law enforcement and media independence and hand “coordinating power” to big tech companies, according to a classified document seen by Reuters.

The briefing document, dated January 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump’s agenda for his second term as “the ultimate disruption” that would lead to “a redefinition of the constitutional order; the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states.”

“Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be greatly undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be stripped of their independence and abused as a political arm, and Big Tech will be given co-ruling power,” it said.

Trump’s transition team had no immediate comment on the ambassador’s assessment.

Germany’s foreign ministry said US voters had elected Trump in a democratic election and it would “work closely with the new US administration for the benefit of Germany and Europe”.

The outgoing government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has largely refrained from direct public criticism of Trump since the election, but the ambassador’s confidential assessment offers a harsh view from a senior German official.

Ambassadors do not change automatically with the formation of a new government, unless the change is deemed necessary for diplomatic or other reasons.

The document notes that the judiciary, and the US Supreme Court in particular, is central to Trump’s attempts to advance his agenda, but says that despite the court’s recent decision to expand presidential powers, “even the biggest critics assume it will prevent the worst. “.

Michaelis sees control of the Justice Department and the FBI as key to Trump’s political and personal goals, including mass deportations, retaliation against perceived enemies and legal impunity.

He says Trump has broad legal options to impose his agenda on states, saying that “even the deployment of the military for domestic policing would be possible in cases of declared ‘insurrection’ and ‘invasion.’

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits the federal military from participating in domestic law enforcement, with some exceptions.

Michaelis also plans to “redefine the First Amendment,” saying Trump and billionaire X owner Elon Musk are already cracking down on critics and uncooperative media companies.

“One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and license cancellation, the other is manipulating algorithms and blocking accounts,” he says in the document.

Musk’s repeated endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of the Feb. 23 national election has angered Berlin, but the government has unanimously abandoned his platform.

Berlin had a particularly rocky relationship with the United States during the first Trump administration, facing costly tariffs and criticism for failing to meet a NATO defense spending target.