Germany’s Self-Styled Tough Guy Can’t Process Scholz Fired Him
- Finance chief Lindner clashed with chancellor over borrowing
- Coalition collapse sets Germany on course for snap election
Christian Lindner and Olaf Scholz.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Less than 24 hours after he was kicked out of Germany’s governing coalition, former Finance Minister Christian Lindner was struggling to explain what had happened.
Appearing before reporters at the headquarters of his Free Democrats party on Thursday, Lindner, 45, was asked how he’d felt when he woke up that morning as Germany’s political life raced on without him. At first, he appeared uncharacteristically lost for words, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.