Overview
- Government sources and the NRW State Chancellery acknowledge the meetup with influencer Fabiano was coordinated in advance and say it was not a paid partnership.
- The video, presented as an impromptu street photoshoot near the State Chancellery, drew more than 100,000 likes and widespread views on Instagram.
- Fabiano says only the timing and location were set beforehand, asserting the actual exchange happened spontaneously and that he received no payment.
- SPD state general secretary Frederick Cordes calls the sequence an “inszenierte PR-Choreographie” and argues NRW needs a reliable leader rather than an influencer in office.
- Wüst’s side defends such social-media appearances as a legitimate form of engagement, and reports point to a similar earlier video with CDU mayor Stephan Keller.