TRUMP & US. HOW HE’S CHANGING OUR WORLD

Once voted out, written off countless times, convicted multiple times – and unstoppable. The comeback of the century: Trump is transforming the USA. And perhaps even the world?

The documentary series “Trump & us. How He’s Changing Our World” tells the story of an American president who stirs up and unsettles Europe with deals and harsh words. What is his strategy and what has he achieved with it so far? How is Germany responding? How is Europe faring? And what will become of the America we knew? Will the “system crasher” Trump merely dismantle bureaucracy and inefficiency – or democracy itself?

The series reconstructs key moments and dramatic events of an exceptional year, makes sense of the daily madness, analyses, questions – to get a bigger and clearer picture. Trump’s second presidency begins immediately after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, with threats against the EU and NATO – supposedly his allies. More stick than carrot. At the NATO summit in The Hague, the Europeans agree to invest more in defence. Between flattery and self-assertion, Europe searches for a new strategy – while simultaneously watching itself being left behind on the world stage. Can Trump make peace? Precisely because he is who he is? US Vice President JD Vance, speaking at the 2025 Munich Security Conference about the international order, refers to the “new sheriff in town.” And the new sheriff celebrates himself as a peacemaker, for example in the Middle East. In Ukraine, in Europe, but it seems Putin is calling the shots. How can Europe assert itself in this new world order? At the same time, Trump’s economic nationalism unsettles global trade. He applies pressure, he uses tariffs to move old trading partners toward new deals. His back-and-forth on tariff policy dominates European coverage. The EU struggles to reach a deal until finally accepting one in Scotland. Have the Europeans been taken advantage of? Or was it the right move given a world situation in which the battle for raw materials and technologies is already being fought far beyond the European continent? Donald Trump also questions Western values. Much of what has long been considered consensus by many. America first – is his motto. But what kind of “America” does he mean? Trump fights against migration, gender, diversity, and climate protection. And his attacks find imitators in Europe, where many also long for simple answers and strong men. Is an age of autocrats now coming? Everything that contradicts one’s own worldview becomes an enemy. Or is there more to it? Whether through decrees or AI-generated posts: Trump and his MAGA movement are shifting the boundaries of what can be said and thought. And whatever follows: It’s material for the history books in any case. And therefore, also for us.

With “Trump & us. How He’s Changing Our World,” the team behind “Angela Merkel. The Fateful Years” tells the story of Europe’s present and our complex transatlantic relations.

In three episodes (Peacemaker? / Dealmaker? / King?), an ensemble of protagonists from different political camps, from America and Europe, contextualises and evaluates the events from various perspectives. Contributors include podcaster and communications expert Samira El Ouassil, former CEO of Siemens AG Joe Kaeser, podcaster, and international correspondent for DIE ZEIT Rieke Havertz, as well as Nile Gardiner, a thought leader at the conservative US think tank Heritage Foundation, and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP).

It’s about political fault lines, unleashed power, war and peace, madness and possibility, and the question: is the democratic order of values itself at stake?

Picture: affaire populaire / Bianca Domula