Last week, we were honored to welcome Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 2023, and his Democratic colleague Rep. Mike Capuano from Massachusetts, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2019. From November 3 to 6, we hosted a series of events across NRW, visiting Düsseldorf, Rheinbach, Bonn, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, and Dortmund, and engaging with more than 500 participants at townhalls, schools, and universities.

One year after the pivotal 2024 U.S. elections and amidst the government shutdown, the experienced duo of former legislators shared valuable insights and perspectives on the current state of American politics, prospects for the nation’s future and German-American relations. They emphasized the importance of moderation and bipartisan cooperation and of standing up against attacks on democracy and the rule of law. They called on Germany and Europe to bear greater responsibility on the international stage, while also stressing the resilience of the transatlantic partnership. “We must not divorce,” said Congressman Upton. And Congressman Capuano added that a rift between the U.S. and Europe would only benefit other countries.

The journey began on Monday at the law firm of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, where our Freundeskreis members had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion with the Congressmen, covering issues from the economy and trade relations to threats to democratic institutions. The day continued with a public event titled “Are We Still Friends? The State of American Politics and Transatlantic Relations,” which took place at Düsseldorf City Hall. After an impressive opening speech by Lord Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller, the discussion was moderated by Kerstin Kohlenberg.

On Tuesday, we visited the Erzbischöfliches St. Joseph-Gymnasium in Rheinbach, where the two Congressmen fielded questions from students about their path into politics, the effects of globalization as well as about U.S. foreign policy and the outlook for transatlantic relations. Later that day, we visited the University of Bonn for a lunch discussion on “American Democracy at a Crossroads: The U.S. in Times of Hyperpartisan Conflict”, which was expertly moderated by Prof. Dr. Jasper Trautsch.

On Wednesday, we began the day with a student discussion at Gesamtschule Holweide, the biggest Gesamtschule in NRW. After a tour of the school grounds, the students got a chance to ask questions on the most pressing issues in U.S. politics at the moment, on gun laws, as well as on American culture. Afterwards, the Congressmen toured Cologne Cathedral together with the AmerikaHaus Chairman, Dr. Ingo Wolf. The day concluded with a panel discussion titled “The Future of U.S. Leadership in the World” at KPMG Cologne. Together with Dr. Joseph Verbovszky of the German Council on Foreign Relations, the Congressmen reflected on the previous day’s election results, their parties’ outlook, and fundamental shifts in America’s approach to the world and the transatlantic relationship.

On the final day, we visited the NRW Center for Talent Development in Gelsenkirchen for a discussion on the Congressmen’s paths to Congress, the effects of current policies on international exchange programs, and the influence of social media. In the afternoon, we traveled to Dortmund to discuss the off-year election results with students of the Technical University of Dortmund. The day concluded with a public event in Dortmund addressing the future of the U.S.-European partnership.

None of this would have been possible without our many partners and supporters:
FMC Association of Former Members of Congress; Auslandsgesellschaft.de e.V.; City of Dortmund; City of Düsseldorf; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. (DGAP); Europe Direct Dortmund; Europe Direct Düsseldorf; Deutsch-Atlantische Gesellschaft e.V.; HSF Kramer; KPMG; North American Studies Program of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn; and the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia.