US-Präsident Donald Trump und Audi-Vorsitzender Gernot Dollner in Perry, Georgia, Vereinigte Staaten, 24. Oktober, 2026Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

‘Disturbing and pathetic’: German politicians slam Audi CEO’s appearance at Trump rally – POLITICO

26 Oct 2026, 12:02 by Sonja Rijnen · POLITICO

German politicians have sharply criticized Audi CEO Gernot Döllner's appearance alongside U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday.

“Actively campaigning for an autocrat who is waging a trade war against Germany marks a new low for the VW Group,” said Isabel Cademartori, a Social Democratic Party lawmaker and the party’s transport policy spokesperson.

"This is a disgrace," she added, "especially considering the history of the VW Group." Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which was founded in 1937 by the Nazi Party's German Labor Front. Cademartori went on to accuse Audi of "validating Trump’s strategy" of “using a trade war to shift jobs from Europe to the United States.”