Politico | Olaf Scholz shocks German media by speaking in English
- Chancellor hopeful makes unusual move of answering questions in English after Sunday’s election
- Scholz’s willingness to speak English publicly was in marked contrast to some other senior German politicians
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Emma Anderson on politico.eu on September 27, 2021.
Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrat vying to lead the next German government after Sunday’s election, shocked German media Monday by answering questions in English at a press conference.
When asked by a correspondent for Britain’s Channel 4 TV to respond to questions in English on how long coalition talks might last and potentially sending German truck drivers to Britain to help with the country’s driver shortage, Scholz responded in kind.
“We worked very hard to convince the British not to leave the [European] Union,” he said, adding that he hoped the UK would be able to manage the crisis and suggesting it might have to do with wages or working conditions.
A second British journalist then chimed in, saying “while we’re speaking English, if I may just ask one more,” to which Scholz quipped: “This is a German press conference, please,” before answering that question in English as well.
