What's going on, America?

In the organizer's words:

How the USA is changing and what this means for Europe - discussion evening with Klaus Brinkbäumer

In the second year of his second term in office, Donald Trump continues to keep the world on tenterhooks. His administration's course has massive repercussions far beyond the country's borders. Based on the observations of long-time US correspondent Klaus Brinkbäumer, we take a look at key trends and lines of conflict in American politics. His conversations across the country provide insights into deep social rifts and bear witness to the mistrust of democratic institutions and the political system. Together with Brandon Bohrn, he discusses how the USA is changing and what this means for Europe. Last but not least, it is also about a personal perspective: how do people who have been connected to America for many years experience the current change? How is the view of the USA - and the transatlantic relationship - changing these days?

We discuss these and other questions with:

Klaus Brinkbäumer is an author, presenter and filmmaker. He was program director of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) until April 2024 and editor-in-chief of SPIEGEL and publisher of SPIEGEL ONLINE from 2015 to 2018. He has had close ties to the USA for thirty years. Since his studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he has been there regularly and has followed political and cultural life with fascination and criticism. In 2007, his lifelong dream came true and he went to New York as a correspondent for SPIEGEL. Klaus Brinkbäumer has won the Egon Erwin Kisch Prize, the Henri Nannen Prize, the German Reporter Prize and was named Editor-in-Chief of the Year in 2016. Together with Rieke Havertz, he hosts the DIE ZEIT podcast "OK, America?". His latest book The American Nightmare was published by S. Fischer on March 11, 2026.

Brandon Bohrn is an expert on US foreign and security policy, US politics and society, and transatlantic relations at the Bertelsmann Stiftung. Previously, he was part of the Bertelsmann Foundation's transatlantic team in Washington, D.C., where he co-authored the annual Transatlantic Trends report for three years. As a Fulbright and DAAD scholar, he gained academic and professional experience on both sides of the Atlantic, including working on the foreign policy staff of a U.S. senator and in the political departments of the U.S. Consulate General in Düsseldorf and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. He completed the TransAtlantic Masters Program (TAM) in Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and is also a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.

Rika Althoff is a doctoral candidate and research assistant at the Institute of Philosophy and Political Science at the Technical University of Dortmund. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Literary and Cultural Studies with minors in Political Science and History and a Master's degree in Philosophy and Political Science. Her research focuses on issues at the intersection of environmental, peace and security concerns - integrating political theory with interdisciplinary approaches to peace and conflict research. In her teaching on both the Bachelor's and Master's degree courses, she regularly deals with topics relating to the European Union in the 21st century, international relations and international organizations.

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You do not need to print out your Eventbrite ticket. The name under which you have reserved your tickets is sufficient for admission.

The event location is barrier-free.

The event is a cooperation between the AmerikaHaus NRW, Auslandsgesellschaft.de, Europe Direct Dortmund, and the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Dortmund.

This event is supported by the Federal Foreign Office.