The most widely-read news publication in Germany, Der Spiegel, has given outgoing president Donald Trump the unofficial title of “Loser of the Year”, just as Time’s “Person of the Year” award was bestowed upon president-elect Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris. 

Der Spiegel heaps criticism on outgoing president Trump

In a lengthy article penned by Roland Nerres, Spiegel’s Washington Bureau Chief, and Ralf Neukirch, a Berlin-based correspondent, Trump is criticised for his refusal to concede the election to Biden. The article, which appeared under the headline “Der Verlierer des Jahres” (the Loser of the Year), accuses Trump of being a man who “was never concerned with the common good, but always with one thing - himself.” 

“He refuses to admit defeat,” Nerres and Neukirch wrote. “Instead, he speaks of massive electoral fraud, although there is no evidence of it. The whole thing is not surprising. Trump’s presidency ends as it began. Without decency and without dignity.” 

Germany’s difficult relationship with Donald Trump

Trump’s unpopularity among Germans is no secret. In 2020, a survey by the Pew Research Center found that roughly three-quarters of the German population lacked confidence in the US president; he was also cited as the number one cause for concern in the 2020 Fears of the Germans survey. 

Back in 2018, Der Spiegel memorably used a front cover depicting Donald Trump as a middle finger to Europe. In the leading story, the magazine’s writers insisted that it was “time for Europe to join the resistance… against America.” They accused Trump of being “only proficient in destruction.” 

The election of Joe Biden has therefore raised hopes about more harmonious German-American relations on both sides of the Atlantic. Things can “only get better” with Biden, a top German official told Der Spiegel. Biden is “predictable, reliable and anything but a hothead,” the article maintained. “The most important thing is that he’s not Trump.”