Trump, Döpfner and freedom of the press: United for lack of freedom

Even judges appointed by US President Donald Trump retain their independence here and there. At least that's how you can read the decision of US federal judge Timothy Kelly, who suspended Trump's press ban on various media. The channels CNN and MS Now as well as the Politico portal are suing that Trump wants to deny them access to the White House because of unpleasant reporting. On Thursday, the three media outlets said the Secret Service would not let them in despite the decision.

The question of independence also arises in another case – that of Politico. The portal was bought by the German Springer Group in 2021. Since then, Mathias Döpfner's media company has become increasingly open towards the AfD and other neo-fascist forces.

The group also continually seeks proximity to the US right. The US oligarch and Trump ally Peter Thiel will receive the Axel Springer Prize in Berlin on Thursday - the same day that US media report the partial success of the Politico lawsuit against Trump. Thiel, whose data analysis software countries around the world control their populations and develop AI killing machines, receives the prize for his “unparalleled contribution to the resilience of democracy.”

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Meanwhile, Döpfner is personally checking the resilience of Politico's independence. The Springer boss wrote two opinion pieces there in 2025 and 2026. In one he called for support for the USA and Israel in their war of aggression against Iran, and in the other he criticized the EU for its aid payments to the Palestinians. The Politico staff then wrote a letter concerned about the independence of their medium.

The boss reacted defiantly. Döpfner announced that he would “write more in the future, not less.” Fun fact: He hasn't written a single piece for Politico since March. Döpfner, however, was hands off with the current lawsuit. Döpfner Politico did not even publicly express its support in the dispute over press freedom with Trump.