Gerhard Zeiler on US politics
From Renata Schmidtkunz in conversation with media manager and former ORF Director General Gerhard Zeiler · · Bruno Kreisky Forum für internationalen Dialog
“Ich halte die Institutionen in Amerika für stark genug diesem Versuch, den die Trumpadministration sicherlich vorhat und möchte, freie Meinungsbildung mal einzuschränken, die Justiz auf ihrer Seite zu bekommen und die Universitäten auf ihrer Seite zu bekommen. Ich halte die amerikanische Institutionen für stark genug, dass dem widerstanden wird.”
On , Gerhard Zeiler, President of International at Warner Bros Discovery Inc, spoke about US politics during Renata Schmidtkunz in conversation with media manager and former ORF Director General Gerhard Zeiler on Bruno Kreisky Forum für internationalen Dialog.
About Gerhard Zeiler
In a February 2026 interview at the Bruno Kreisky Forum, Gerhard Zeiler discussed the state of the ORF and the role of public service broadcasting. He stated that the ORF's current situation resulted from electing two directors‑general whom he categorized as primarily interested in obtaining and keeping the position, lacking either the intellectual capacity or the will to take necessary measures. Zeiler asserted that public service broadcasting has five core mandates, with independent reporting being primary, and argued that failures in this area stem from management, not journalists. Zeiler also commented on U.S. politics, expressing confidence that American institutions are strong enough to resist what he described as attempts by the Trump administration to restrict free opinion‑forming. He reflected on his political views, stating he had believed an SPÖ‑led government would be better for Austria, citing Bruno Kreisky's combination of justice, security, and performance. Zeiler called the SPÖ's abandonment of the term "performance" to more conservative parties one of its biggest mistakes in the last 15 years.