9/11 Terrorist Attack "Tempered" New German Finance Minister - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Lars Klingbeil, the future German finance minister, witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attack while interning in Manhattan. This experience is important for financing the rearmament of the German army.
The future German Minister of Finance, Lars Klingbeil, gained valuable security experience in the USA, which is important for the implementation of one of the key goals of the new coalition government - financing the rearmament of the country's army. The politician and financier witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attack, because he was interning in Manhattan at that time, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
For the person who is about to become the next Minister of Finance of Germany, September 11, 2001 is a key moment that will shape his position during the restoration of the country's defense capability, the publication writes.
That morning, immediately after the first plane crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, 23-year-old Lars Klingbeil arrived in Manhattan for an internship. He remembers the evacuation of the office building and his boss pronouncing words that would sound in his ears: "this day will change the world."
The September 11 attacks sparked an interest in security policy and formed the basis of his career. And almost a quarter of a century later, the co-leader of the German Social Democrats is going to take responsibility for financing the complete rearmament of Germany.
So Klingbeil can compensate for the lack of experience in the fiscal sphere with deep knowledge in the field of defense. As Europe's largest economy opens budget taps to boost the expensive modernization of its military and spend 500 billion euros ($552 billion) on infrastructure.
Success in his future position will be crucial for Germany's export-oriented economy to start recovering rapidly against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump undermining the global trade order and seeming unwilling to defend Europe, forcing the country to hastily rebuild its own armed forces.
Let us remind you
The Ministry of Finance in the updated German government will be headed by co-leader of the SDPN Lars Klingbeil. In the political hierarchy of Germany, the job of Minister of Finance is considered key after the Chancellor. He will be Mertz's deputy as Vice Chancellor. The 47-year-old politician headed the SPD together with Saskia Esken from 2021. After the party's bitter defeat in the national elections on February 23, he also took over as head of the SDPN parliamentary group in the Bundestag.
