The presence of Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi, at Donald Trump's campaign rally on Saturday has met with strong negative reactions from German politicians. Isabel Cademarti, a representative of the Social Democratic Party and spokesperson for the party's transport policy, said: "An active campaign for a dictator who has launched a trade war against Germany is a sign of the lowest level of activity from the Volkswagen Group."
Criticism of Trump's Policies
Cademarti added: "This is shameful, especially considering the history of the Volkswagen Group." Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, founded in 1937 by the German Labor Front under the Nazi regime. She also accused Audi of "endorsing Trump's strategy" which aims to move jobs from Europe to the United States through a trade war.
Crisis in the German Automotive Industry
This criticism comes as Volkswagen faces a severe crisis, with factory closures and mass layoffs expected in Germany. Dennis Radke, a Member of the European Parliament from the Christian Democratic Party, also strongly criticized Döllner's presence at the rally, stating: "Donald Trump's policies are severely harming the German industry, including the automotive sector."
He emphasized: "That German companies invest abroad is initially a completely natural and understandable process. However, turning this into a stage for Trump's election campaign is disturbing and ridiculous."
Cademarti also pointed to Audi's internal policies, which explicitly require political neutrality in the lead-up to elections.
In a statement released on Sunday, Audi announced: "The future of the United States offers significant growth opportunities for Audi. Local production is a central part of our comprehensive growth strategy." The company also added that "the planned investment is a long-term commitment to the United States."
Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen, had previously attributed part of the company's worst financial results in a decade to the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
