As the postwar era fades away and America and the world become more unpredictable, many Germans are searching for answers. To cut through the complexity and unite the German people, former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg launched guttenberg.media.

Under the Guttenberg brand, the multimillionaire baron publishes three podcasts, a newsletter and documentaries, and he hosts live talks.

“Today is a big day for our team at Open Minds Media: We are launching several new and exciting formats under the GUTTENBERG media brand,” Guttenberg announced on February 3 on LinkedIn. “With our journalistic offerings, we want to give people orientation and confidence in these times of crisis and take them behind the scenes of decisions.”

Augsburger Allgemeine commented on February 12: “Guttenberg has transformed himself from a media darling into a personal brand. Now he wants to make his mark on journalism under his own name—and to reconcile rather than divide.”

Ever since Guttenberg left German politics in 2011 following his plagiarism scandal, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has watched him closely, believing he could attempt a comeback and take the highest level of European politics, in line with a prophecy detailed in Daniel 8 and 11 and Revelation 17.

As our booklet A Strong German Leader Is Imminent explains, Daniel 11 says this prophesied strongman will rise through “flatteries.”

It remains to be seen what these flatteries will be, but Guttenberg’s recent activities give us further reason to “Watch This Man Closely,” as Mr. Flurry wrote in the February 2024 Trumpet issue.

Guttenberg’s latest move could be another step into this prophesied direction.

Simon Biallowons, managing director of Herder Publishing, which publishes Guttenberg’s books, told Augsburger Allgemeine that the Guttenberg brand offers “an exciting and courageous experiment in these times.”

The team includes Klaus Brinkbäumer, former editor in chief of Spiegel. In the background of his podcast contributions is the famous 2017 Spiegel cover of United States President Donald Trump decapitating the Statue of Liberty.

Brinkbäumer has his own podcast, OK, America, and is seen as one of Germany’s top experts on America.

Guttenberg, who has lived around 10 years in America and knows many of its influential leaders, falls into that same category.

Every Tuesday, Guttenberg joins Brinkbäumer to discuss politics. Ricardia Bramley (senior podcast producer with roots in the U.S. and Germany) joins the discussion to talk about society; Peter Greve (consultant, creative and strategist), about culture; Rüdiger Barth (journalist, historian and author), about sports.

On Wednesdays, Guttenberg continues his podcast with Gregor Gysi from Germany’s Die Linke, the successor of East Germany’s Socialist Unity Party.

On Thursdays, he releases the weekly newsletter, the “NEULAND Update,” that promises “exclusive analyses of the political and social situation,” according to Guttenberg. Guttenberg has around 190,000 followers on LinkedIn, and his first newsletter went to 30,000 subscribers.

The first newsletter included an interview with LinkedIn founder and billionaire Reid Hoffman.

Every Friday, Guttenberg hosts the podcast Make America GOOD Again with Ricardia Bramley.

Augsburger Allgemeine shared a quote from Andreas Jungherr, a political scientist from Bamberg:

What’s particularly advantageous for Guttenberg right now is his perceived expertise on the U.S. and his contacts there. In Germany, he’s clearly filling a gap: that of the U.S. explainer at a time when the U.S. seems to be becoming increasingly alien to us. The need for explanation is enormous. … Guttenberg is a good speaker and can explain complex issues simply. At the same time, his demeanor stands in deliberate contrast to other public figures: He presents himself as distinguished, which some find refreshing.

Some in Germany still view Guttenberg as one of the nation’s best leaders in recent history. Others have been won over by his recent reconciliatory tone or his strong stance against U.S. President Trump. Others see him as a plagiarist who lost his doctorate and ministerial post, or as the controversial boyfriend of Germany’s current economics minister.

It remains to be seen what effect Guttenberg’s new media brand will bring. Perhaps it will be a critical stepping-stone for him to fill the Germans’ craving not only for understanding but also for leadership.