Who is Friedrich Merz, Germany's likely next leader? | Berlin Briefing Podcast

John Kampfner, Journalist and Author: He's a man who, as you say, he's been in politics for a long time. He's acerbic. He doesn't suffer fools gladly. He's capable of being quite rude to people. He knows his mind. Both because of his relationship to Angela Merkel and feeling that she had stabbed him in the front and the back, and is very keen to do the same now to her during this election campaign and afterwards. He has committed what, for some traditional Germans think is a cardinal sin and worked in the private sector for the asset company Blackrock and sort of a big global company, which in the sort of millennial feeling of Germany's centre-left, is regarded as beyond the pale. For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ For more news, analysis and background information on the German election 2025 go to our dedicated page: https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-2025/t-70794502 Follow DW on social media: ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1 #berlinbriefing #merz #germanelections