- By Brandon Drenon
- BBC News
Image source, Senator Chris Coons on X
US Senator Chris Coons, left (we think), next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right (probably)
What do a US Senator from Delaware and the Chancellor of Germany have in common? It turns out, quite a lot.
Chris Coons and Olaf Scholz met in Washington DC on Thursday. Afterward, they took a selfie together and posted it online teasing the same question.
“Wer ist wer?”, Sen Coons joked – German for “who is who”.
Between their nearly identical greying hair, middle-aged baldness and infectious smiles, at first glance it was hard to tell.
Mr Scholz, the leader of Germany’s three party coalition government which came to power in 2021, is not usually known for his sense of humour. But the veteran left-wing politician was quick to join in the fun.
“Great to see my Doppelganger again,” Chancellor Scholz wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in a re-post of the image.
The two don’t only just share the same relative age – 60 and 65 – or the same relative height – about 5ft 7in – but they also share a love for politics and a sense of urgency to send more military aid to Ukraine.
Mr Scholz arrived to Washington DC for a scheduled meeting with President Joe Biden on Friday to encourage support for Ukraine and to emphasise the stakes for failing to send additional aid.
He met with Sen Coons and other lawmakers on Thursday to send them the same message.
Mr Scholz’s visit comes as lawmakers in Congress scramble to figure out how to pass additional aid for Ukraine and Israel amid heavy pushback from Republicans.
The German leader wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on Thursday: “Others around the world are watching closely to see whether these divisions can be exploited.”
“We must prove them wrong by convincing citizens on both sides of the Atlantic that a Russian victory would make the world a far more dangerous place.”