The riddle of an important turning point in the 2021 federal election campaign has been solved!
Because now it is clear why the then CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (60) laughed when he visited the flood area with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (65) when he was unconsciously in the background of the TV broadcasts.
Photo: Reuters
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/bundespraesident-steinmeier-sprech-in-die-kameras-und-mikrofone-im- Background-wartete-armin-laschet-a9bb8a89f48843c0a5001ab6e309127e-78689030/ Image / 1.bild.jpg “/> Federal President Steinmeier speaks into the cameras and microphones, in the background Armin Laschet was waiting in a group of CDU politicians from the region and companionsPhoto: Reuters
And this is how the embarrassing appearance went: When Steinmeier spoke into the cameras, Laschet was waiting in a group of companions and CDU politicians from the region and could not understand what the Federal President was saying. This is what participants reported to the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” (RND) and the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” about the date on July 17, 2021 in Erftstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia. The city in North Rhine-Westphalia was hit hard by the flood of the century.
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The cheerfulness in the group broke out when Laschet turned to Frank Rock (51, CDU), the district administrator of the Rhein-Erft district next to him, and jokingly criticized him for welcoming the Federal President.
According to information from bystanders, Laschet teased Rock by saying that he only greeted the head of state with “Mr. Steinmeier” and not with “Mr. Federal President”. Rock replied teasingly to Laschet that he was so surprised that Steinmeier “is as small as you”.
In addition, the group around Laschet – and later Steinmeier himself – was amused by the fact that reporters sometimes dislocated themselves in a bizarre manner in order to hold their microphones close to the speakers without being in the picture of the cameramen.
The recordings of Laschet’s laughter had sparked massive criticism and outrage. The polls of the CDU, which until then had led to the Sunday question, collapsed and did not recover. Laschet and Rock immediately apologized and spoke of a mistake.
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