Press
Below you will find a range of project-related information documents, links and selected publications.
Report series ‘The race for the White House and its consequences for the German economy’
The US presidential elections have always been followed with great interest all over the world. In 2024, the course and possible results were also part of the daily media coverage. Particularly as the impact of the election result will not only affect the US, but also global society and the economy. In order to categorise the challenges and consequences for German companies and provide assistance with possible changes in business activities, the Funk Foundation has initiated a project together with the Agora Strategy Group in which various focus topics are examined in three reports.
There has been much speculation about the outcome of the US presidential election and possible scenarios have been played out. Not surprisingly for many, Donald Trump won the race and took up his second term as Republican President. However, even though the outcome of the election is now known, it is still difficult to assess what effects, new circumstances and changes will affect the global economy and our society. This is because in the American checks and balance system, all powers - executive, legislative and judicial - are of great importance.
In order to provide German and European companies with assistance in categorising the elections and their impact, three reports with different focuses are being compiled to make it easier to assess the potential consequences for their own business activities and make any necessary adjustments to their strategy.
The first report was published in September 2024 and deals with the economy and trade, in particular the geo-economic context. As the outcome of the election was still open, scenarios are explained that address both the consequences of a Trump victory and the effects of a US President Harris. The topics of monetary, fiscal and migration policy are analysed and explained. The social situation and the special political system of the USA are also analysed.
The second report, which was published after the elections and inauguration at the beginning of February 2025, focuses on security policy and geopolitical shifts. It looks at how the new US administration is dealing with the war in Ukraine, how relations with countries such as China will change and how the new government is defining its role in the Middle East.
To conclude the series, the third report was published in March 2025 and focuses on the topics of climate protection and green transformation. In particular, it looks at how Donald Trump wants to achieve US ‘energy dominance’, namely by stopping the green transformation rather than driving it forward and putting fossil fuels back in the foreground. It also analyses how the US president is fuelling global rivalry over key raw materials and highlights the potential consequences of his actions. Finally, the report analyses the potential impact of Trump's undermining of UN climate diplomacy and outlines recommendations for companies.
All reports comprise around 20 to 25 pages and are available to download free of charge in both English and German via our media library.