Sometimes even Markus Söder is at a loss for words. When he was asked on Tuesday about a media report that said he had ambitions for the office of Federal President, Bavaria’s Prime Minister briefly collapsed. Shaking his head, he put his hands in front of his face and stammered: “Hey… well…” Söder, who usually fires off formulations faster than his shadow, was speechless. You rarely see him so distraught. After he had sorted himself out again, he managed to say one more sentence. “That’s so adventurous.”
The otherwise well-informed editor-in-chief of the Munich Mercury The day after the state election, he spread the rumor in an editorial that the CSU leader was eyeing the Bellevue presidential palace in 2027 – “as the price for helping either Wüst or Merz become chancellor.” It was not clear from the text where this assumption came from. Shortly afterwards she wore Picture the sensational speculation spread into the republic. “Ridiculous,” Söder later told journalists. After the election, he has the task of forming a stable government in Bavaria.
But the news is now developing its own dynamic: On Tuesday evening, guests on the ARD talk show “Maischberger” debated a potential Federal President Söder. The fact that TV presenter Günther Jauch, of all people, was sitting in the group was almost divine providence. He is considered the Federal President of the Heart. The 67-year-old is regularly voted at the top of popularity rankings. Jauch was not impressed by the idea of sending Söder to the highest state office. “I think that’s a very wild speculation.”
“He’s definitely not an intellectual, but Söder is certainly intelligent.”
He took a hard line against the CSU leader’s election campaign. He “did ten times more” than CDU Prime Minister Boris Rhein in Hesse – and still achieved a comparatively weak result. “He really needs to think about whether there is a different way to conduct an election campaign and then make it more successful.” When Maischberger asked whether he trusted Söder to think about this, Jauch chuckled. “He’s definitely not an intellectual, but Söder is certainly intelligent.” He knows that “his place” is in Bavaria after this difficult election. “He is urgently needed at the moment.”
Maybe Jauch just wants to keep a competitor for the presidency at bay. But that is pure speculation.