What Americans hope for now, Bob Goodlatte and Brenda L. Lawrence at City Hall Duesseldorf

POLITICS/DÜSSELDORF

What Americans hope for now

Former Members of the U.S. Congress

Bob Goodlatte and Brenda L. Lawrence

at City Hall Düsseldorf

November 2024

Düsseldorf: At the invitation of Amerikahaus NRW, two former members of Congress, Congresswoman and Democrat Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan's 14th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023, and Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte, who represented the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2019, were guests in the plenary chamber of Düsseldorf City Hall yesterday.

Donald Trump's election as the 47th President of the USA came as a surprise to many Germans. According to polls, over 60 per cent of Germans believed that Kamala Harris would be elected - however, a few days before the election, former US Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell said in an interview with a German internet format that he thought the Germans had been deceived.

Accordingly, the hall was filled almost to the last chair with many Amerikahaus members, but also many young people, including students. However, the audience seemed to have already made up its mind, as there was only applause during Brenda L. Lawrence's answers.

The words of welcome were spoken by Alderman Christian Zaum. Viktoria Haardecke, Director of AmerikaHaus NRW, explained that this series of events would become a tradition after the US elections and that she would still have to travel to many appointments with her guests.

For the Republicans, victory was clear

According to Bob Goodlatte, they had seen the victory coming, he was just surprised by the extent of the lead. The issues of immigration and the economy had been insurmountable for the Democratic Party. As a Republican, he was of course pleased with the success of their candidate, but Trump's behaviour after his defeat cast a shadow over it. The Democrats also had too little time during the election campaign and were too burdened with Biden's problems.

When asked by presenter Vivien Leue which issues had been decisive for Americans, Goodlatte replied that inflation and the 20% rise in prices had made people very unhappy. Then, of course, Trump's stance on the border issue. The USA is of course a country of immigration, but people want to decide for themselves who is allowed to come.

Then Brenda L. Lawrence took the floor for the first time. The time had been a rollercoaster for her party. Now it was time for the Democrats to analyse what was going wrong in their party. She was disappointed, they still could not believe Trump's election, but Harris' election campaign would have been also too short. America would be a melting pot.

What do the Americans hope for now?

Goodlatte replied that he hoped the ‘nastiness’ would now disappear. He recalled the time when he was elected to Congress. Back then, Clinton was the president. Although the Republicans had the majority, Clinton had found a way to govern with them. Furthermore, he was firmly convinced that Trump would increase business activity. Tax reform is expected and efforts are being made to attract foreign investment.

What is Trump planning for Ukraine?

According to Goodlatte, Trump would talk to NATO and push the EU to invest more in defence.

Gaza

Trump would refer to the two-state solution, said Goodlatte. Trump criticises the pro-Palestine protests on America's streets and would increase his pressure against Iran.

J.D. Vance

Both politicians were asked what they thought of J.D. Vance and whether he would be a possible next presidential candidate. Brenda L. Lawrence said she had been watching his ‘transition’ to the Trump camp closely. Goodlatte went on at length. He had been watching Trump for decades, Trump would not be a Republican, he would be a populist. J.D. Vance also had these tendencies, although he seemed more conservative. He believes it is quite possible that J.D. Vance will become the next presidential candidate.

The evening ended with a Q&A session with the audience. However, how the figure of Trump is still treated in the German media today and how opinions are formed was not discussed that evening.

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By C.G.. Mauer

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