Ralph Schoellhammer

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much for having me.

Well, it's a good question. Let me put it this way. It depends whether or not Germany will find back to sanity in the near future. I mean, overall, I think your viewers probably see it the same way. Overall, it's better for the world if Europe and the United States cooperate and have good relations. But I understand that Donald Trump is upset.

Well, it's a good question. Let me put it this way. It depends whether or not Germany will find back to sanity in the near future. I mean, overall, I think your viewers probably see it the same way. Overall, it's better for the world if Europe and the United States cooperate and have good relations. But I understand that Donald Trump is upset.

I mean, he probably is not forgetting that, you know, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, sent 100 labor people to the U.S. to campaign for For Kamala Harris, he will not have forgotten that the German president called him a hate preacher.

I mean, he probably is not forgetting that, you know, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, sent 100 labor people to the U.S. to campaign for For Kamala Harris, he will not have forgotten that the German president called him a hate preacher.

He will not have forgotten that basically the entire European Commission said don't vote for Trump, so that there are some hurt feelings for good reasons, I understand. But on the long run, I still hope that these are quarrels among siblings, that as a broader Western civilization, we are still on the same side.

He will not have forgotten that basically the entire European Commission said don't vote for Trump, so that there are some hurt feelings for good reasons, I understand. But on the long run, I still hope that these are quarrels among siblings, that as a broader Western civilization, we are still on the same side.

Well, you know, platitudes are easy. Action is actually much more difficult. And just a reminder for your viewers who are probably not so familiar with French politics. A couple of years ago, Emmanuel Macron tried to increase the retirement age by two years. I think it was from 61 to 63 or something thereabouts. And the streets were aflame.

Well, you know, platitudes are easy. Action is actually much more difficult. And just a reminder for your viewers who are probably not so familiar with French politics. A couple of years ago, Emmanuel Macron tried to increase the retirement age by two years. I think it was from 61 to 63 or something thereabouts. And the streets were aflame.

So the idea that you can then raise the French people to take cuts to the welfare state in the name of defense spending, that is simply not going to work. By the way, that's not going to work anywhere in Europe. And this is not just that the Europeans got used to their social systems.

So the idea that you can then raise the French people to take cuts to the welfare state in the name of defense spending, that is simply not going to work. By the way, that's not going to work anywhere in Europe. And this is not just that the Europeans got used to their social systems.

I always afraid to tell this to your American viewers, but just to give you a feeling of what we are talking about. I think the average American takes 14 vacation days. The average European takes 24 vacation days. That is not including public holidays, which are in Austria an additional 13. And now comes the greatest of all things. We don't get 12 yearly salaries. We get 14 yearly salaries by law.

I always afraid to tell this to your American viewers, but just to give you a feeling of what we are talking about. I think the average American takes 14 vacation days. The average European takes 24 vacation days. That is not including public holidays, which are in Austria an additional 13. And now comes the greatest of all things. We don't get 12 yearly salaries. We get 14 yearly salaries by law.

So I always make fun when, you know, some of my European friends say, Europe is a vassal of the United States. We're a colony of the United States. I'm telling you, if that is true, it was very comfortable to be a colony of the United States because you guys did all the working and we took all the vacation days. So that was very nice. And I think that Donald Trump wants to put a name to it.

So I always make fun when, you know, some of my European friends say, Europe is a vassal of the United States. We're a colony of the United States. I'm telling you, if that is true, it was very comfortable to be a colony of the United States because you guys did all the working and we took all the vacation days. So that was very nice. And I think that Donald Trump wants to put a name to it.

But on a more serious note, what is a bigger problem? And I'm sure that we're going to talk about this also in greater detail. There is a sense in Western Europe that especially due to mass migration, and this is, of course, was also correct, that security, a sense of safety, crime rates have gone up, a sense of safety has gone down.

But on a more serious note, what is a bigger problem? And I'm sure that we're going to talk about this also in greater detail. There is a sense in Western Europe that especially due to mass migration, and this is, of course, was also correct, that security, a sense of safety, crime rates have gone up, a sense of safety has gone down.

So the sense is, if we cannot protect our own borders, if we cannot protect life in our own cities, why are we supposed to protect the borders of Ukraine and the security of Ukrainians? Again, I'm not against it, but of course, it makes complete sense that most people say, shouldn't the government primarily take care of its own people before they take care of people somewhere else?

So the sense is, if we cannot protect our own borders, if we cannot protect life in our own cities, why are we supposed to protect the borders of Ukraine and the security of Ukrainians? Again, I'm not against it, but of course, it makes complete sense that most people say, shouldn't the government primarily take care of its own people before they take care of people somewhere else?