Economist Podcasts On the off chancellor: Friedrich Merz, one year in
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May 6, 2026 
Tom Nuttall, The Economist’s Germany correspondent, tracks Friedrich Merz’s bruising first year through coalition feuds, weak growth and a clash with Donald Trump. Tom Wainwright, media editor, explores how AI chatbots are quietly learning to sell. The conversation also turns to how the language of war has become harsher and thinner.
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Merz’s Coalition Is Souring Faster Than Germany’s Economy
- Germany’s promised recovery keeps slipping, and Friedrich Merz’s coalition looks brittle as economic downgrades and policy fights pile up.
- Tom Nuttall says even small disputes between Christian Democrats and Social Democrats now explode into rows, with MPs openly musing about collapse.
The Real Fiscal Fight For Merz Is Still Ahead
- Germany’s next battles are harder than the ones it has already survived, especially pensions and tax cuts it still cannot finance.
- Pensions consume about a quarter of the federal budget, and lower-earner tax relief is due next year without an agreed funding plan.
A Remark To Schoolchildren Turned Into A Trump Feud
- Friedrich Merz’s claim that America was being humiliated by Iran triggered a direct feud with Donald Trump.
- After Merz said this to schoolchildren in the Sauerland, Trump hit back online and threatened to cut the US troop presence in Germany.