The election was really a total failure. That shouldn't have happened. But it did. Now, it's about looking forward. The chancellor is elected, and the government must act quickly. Looking back – even the recent past – won't help us. I just hope that this doesn't repeat itself in future votes. The government's majority can be very narrow.

I know what you're getting at. But that's not up for discussion. Now, it's about getting things done. The government must quickly show the people that it is capable of action. Governments are elected for four years, and it's not appropriate to continuously raise the coalition question during an ongoing legislative period. That wouldn't be good for our business location either. Companies need planning security for the coming years.

The selection is bold because it's a real personnel reset. Still, there are experienced heads, such as Boris Pistorius, Dorothee Bär, and Alexander Dobrindt. That makes it a good combination. I believe if too many familiar faces had been in the cabinet, we'd be having a very different discussion. I know most of the ministers well personally, and I must say, there is no appointment I would question. There are individuals with more political experience and others with less. But that doesn't have to be a disadvantage.

Lars Klingbeil’s performance, both before the election and in coalition negotiations leading up to personnel decisions, commands my highest respect given the complexity within the SPD. And he will be a good finance minister. He will certainly surround himself with strong people, and that’s important. I know his state secretaries – for example, Rolf Bösinger, a very experienced man who was once state secretary in the Ministry of Finance. The decision to bring in Björn Böning, who has extensive experience in various political fields, is also excellent.

I was pleasantly surprised that the new Digital Minister comes from the business sector and brings expertise from outside of politics. The challenge here will be adapting to the complexity of political daily life. But I’m cautiously optimistic. However, some of the reporting on the appointments surprised me – everyone deserves initial trust. I also think it’s great that Katherina Reiche is taking over the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

We still have the situation where we’re likely to have little economic growth this year. That means something must be done quickly that also has short-term impact. But we must also be honest with the people and companies: Not everything can be fixed overnight. In terms of expectation management, I would be a bit cautious: deliver more than you promise.

Trust is always the hardest currency in the markets and politics. And if any „power“ in this world can bring Donald Trump to heel, it's the international financial and capital markets. And we’ve seen that in the past few weeks, because Donald Trump can’t simply rely on being able to govern without opposition. Ultimately, the investors themselves decide where and how to invest. This can also have immediate effects on refinancing state debts.

The US has a debt of about 37 trillion dollars. Trump has to pay over a trillion dollars in interest every year. And right now, that’s increasing because he’s losing trust, and refinancing has become more expensive. 9 trillion dollars of US government bonds need to be rolled over in the medium term. The international capital markets will, I’m sure, lead him toward a more realistic policy. Especially since many companies and investors are currently considering shifting more investments from the US to Europe.

The fact that the AfD is so strong right now is partly because a lot of trust in the ability of German politics has been squandered. It’s now about restoring trust and showing that politics is once again close to the people and their everyday problems. The mood in the economy is already shifting. Many companies that had talked in recent months or years about possibly relocating abroad are now more cautious. They also recognise how important the stability of a strong democracy in Europe is.

That’s a great hope in fields like skilled labour, science, and research. In America, perhaps not everyone feels at home anymore. There’s a momentum building that we should make use of.

I believe this will happen, and it must. My appeal, and also my demand to politics, is to place much greater emphasis on research and innovation, as these are the drivers for the jobs of tomorrow. But I am optimistic that performance incentives are already being created. Of course, companies are also called upon here. It’s not only the responsibility of politics.

I am in favour of much closer cooperation with the UK. I’ve said before, we actually need an exit from Brexit. That doesn’t mean that the UK needs to rejoin the EU tomorrow. But we should cooperate again as if that were the case. Other countries like Canada, as well as those in Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Africa, are also potential closer partners. Anywhere where countries are uncertain because of Donald Trump’s behaviour and are looking for strong alliances.

Definitely not. We must accept the realities as they are. We could complain and comment on Trump’s decisions for a long time. But now it’s time to act. To get things done. I am firmly convinced that by the end of this year, we will experience a situation that returns more to normal. The recently concluded trade agreement between the US and the UK gives hope.

At least he can start anew, without carrying any baggage. That’s an opportunity for the relationship to start on a new basis. But with Donald Trump, that doesn’t mean much. He’ll get into a public verbal fight with Zelensky one day and find him „cool“ two weeks later. I believe we’ll have to deal with this emotional volatility.

You’re talking about reforms - but I would say we first need a stable budget. That’s the foundation for everything. Then we need a clear foundation for the special funds that have been created, both for defence and infrastructure. That way, the money can be invested as effectively and quickly as possible. Then, we need fast progress on digitalisation, reducing bureaucracy, and ensuring digital sovereignty for Germany and Europe. This is often talked about before elections, but nothing happens after. The coalition agreement further mentions a 100-day housing construction turbo. There should at least be a plan on how to implement it. Our key industries need support. Energy costs need to go down. And, in coordination with our European partners, we need to get a handle on the refugee issue. It’s about managing uncontrolled, unwanted, and also constitutionally unprotected immigration.

I wouldn’t subscribe to that exactly. I am a strong advocate of the right to asylum. But to put it simply, immigration into the skilled labour market? Yes. Immigration into the social systems for misleading reasons? No.

That’s why there’s also natural pressure to reduce bureaucracy and use AI and digitalisation. We’re already lacking skilled workers today, and in the future, it will be even worse. Bureaucracy not only creates costs but also ties up personnel that is needed elsewhere. I’m somewhat hopeful that the new Ministry for Digital and State Modernisation will bring in new momentum. We should also give people more opportunities, if they want and can, to participate in the workforce. I may get pushback from trade unions on this, but at this point, I don’t care.

When politics has tough discussions on the issues, it’s often a true struggle for the best solutions. And struggling for the best solutions is not a fight, it’s a democratic process. It would be important if that wasn’t immediately labelled as a fight or even a crisis. Not every discussion should be considered a major coalition conflict.

Definitely. And not just when looking at the government. Also when looking at the country. We are neither in a crisis nor the sick man of Europe. My appeal to the media: Let's not exaggerate situations into crises too often. We should be careful with such exaggerations because these exaggerations are what scares people, and lead to the destabilisation of our democracy because they strengthen the populists. The economy is in constant change. Take the 100 years of industrialisation. How many industries in Germany were strong in the past that no longer exist today? The economy is a permanent transformation. Those who understand and take advantage of it are always ahead and keep evolving. And those who don’t, fall behind. We just need to make sure we use this transformation.

Too often, societal groups are pitted against each other. The young say the old are ruining the future. The old say the young have no understanding for our pensions. The wealthy say many people don’t want to work – which is total nonsense. And the poorer say the economy does nothing for them. We need to unite society and turn that into a strength. In recent years, a divisive policy has been consistently pursued. The AfD has also made use of that. We need to move away from that.