Essay: Why “Trump-bashing” is sometimes annoying, but still necessary

Miami. Boring, predictable, unoriginal, perhaps even simple-minded – these are the more reserved comments that constant critics of the US President have to listen to. What is now true for political discourse as a whole is taking on a new dimension with Trumpism: it is increasingly toxic.

First, a note on my own behalf: I've never been a fan of first-person stories. I prefer the distanced approach, even though I am fully aware that the form can never prevent the subjective perspective from flowing into the texts. Putting yourself at the center is rarely a good idea and is rarely a prerequisite for a successful story.

I still want to try it. I make this exception primarily to emphasize that this is a very personal view.

I have been observing the Donald Trump phenomenon for a good ten years. I experienced the 2016 election campaign in the USA up close, as well as the presidential elections and midterm elections in 2020 and 2024. And now, during the midterms, I spent a month traveling in the USA as a campaign and election observer.

It was years of searching – for concepts, for analogies, for orientation. There were also years of self-doubt. We also had countless debates in the editorial team about the phenomenon of Trumpism. Debates also about whether our readers are tired of the constant criticism of Trump.