Why Friedrich Merz decided to risk Donald Trump’s wrath | Jörg Lau

Trump’s retribution is painful for Germany and Nato, but Merz is not backing down. He knows the status quo is untenable What began as a spat between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump over the Iran war is rapidly turning into a historic rupture between Germany and the US. In Germany, the transatlantic falling-out adds to the domestic woes of a coalition government in crisis, overshadowing the first anniversary of Merz’s becoming chancellor tomorrow. More importantly, it proves the futility of Merz’s attempt to be Europe’s Trump-whisperer and puts Nato’s credibility into question. But the dispute also boosts the ambition that Germany’s conservative leader set out on the night of his party’s election victory: to make Europe more independent from the US security umbrella.

Jörg Lau is an international correspondent for the German weekly Die Zeit Continue reading... Jörg Lau Trump’s retribution is painful for Germany and Nato, but Merz is not backing down. He knows the status quo is untenable W hat began as a spat between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump over the Iran war is rapidly turning into a historic rupture between Germany and the US. In Germany, the transatlantic falling-out adds to the domestic woes of a coalition government in crisis, overshadowing the first anniversary of Merz’s becoming chancellor tomorrow. More importantly, it proves the futility of Merz’s attempt to be Europe’s Trump-whisperer and puts Nato’s credibility into question.

But the dispute also boosts the ambition that Germany’s conservative leader set out on the night of his party’s election victory: to make Europe more independent from the US security umbrella. Merz has replaced Pope Leo as the favourite target of Trump’s late-night social-media invective. To state the obvious, Merz does not think that would be OK. In the Oval Office with Trump in March, Merz had explicitly agreed with Trump’s war aim of getting rid of the Iranian regime. So why did Merz suddenly decide to go straight for the jugular of Trump’s narcissistic self-image – his supposed dealmaking prowess?

Merz is not backing down. Even when Trump threatened to invade Greenland, Merz argued for a calm European reaction. This war is undermining European security. For a year now, Merz has tried to manage Trump through concessions and appeasement. Explore more on these topics Share Reuse this content Trump’s retribution is painful for Germany and Nato, but Merz is not backing down.

He knows the status quo is untenable What began as a spat between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump over the Iran war is rapidly turning into a historic rupture between Germany and the US. In Germany, the transatlantic falling-out adds to the domestic woes of a coalition government in crisis, overshadowing the first anniversary of Merz’s becoming chancellor tomorrow. More importantly, it proves the futility of Merz’s attempt to be Europe’s Trump-whisperer and puts Nato’s credibility into question. Jörg Lau is an international correspondent for the German weekly Die Zeit Continue reading... Why Friedrich Merz decided to risk Donald Trump’s wrath | Jörg Lau