Overview

• The chancellor offered a personal note, saying he begins each day by asking himself, “Setzt du heute die richtigen Prioritäten?”.
• He said he spoke by phone over the weekend with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
• He reiterated plans to tighten Bürgergeld rules and claimed that bringing 100,000 recipients back into work could save up to €1.5 billion.
• He embraced moderator Pinar Atalay’s “Strengt euch an!” framing for the welfare changes while sidestepping detailed tax questions.
• On security, he warned of a Russian hybrid and information war, argued compromise with Vladimir Putin achieves little, and said elements of compulsory service may be needed if voluntary recruitment falls short.