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The candidate for Chancellor of Germany from the largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, promises to focus on Germany’s interests in foreign policy, particularly in relations with Donald Trump.
He made this statement in an interview with the Stern portal.
According to Merz, “we must once again transform from a dormant middle power into a leading middle power,” as in the past, Germany “never articulated or defended its interests well enough.”
The German opposition leader used Donald Trump’s approach to making “deals” beneficial for both sides as an example.
“We buy F-35 fighter jets from the Americans out of necessity, but then they should be serviced by us, and we should also get the necessary factories. This would be a good deal for both sides,” he explained.
Merz also criticized the current German government for its incorrect approach to the U.S. presidential election, in which Trump won.
“The German government should have prepared for his re-election. Instead, the Foreign Ministry tweeted on behalf of Kamala Harris, taking a very one-sided stance,” said the CDU leader.
“Trump has a good memory. The current German government will no longer be listened to by the new U.S. administration,” he added, referring to Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a “lame duck,” drawing a parallel to U.S. presidents who do not get re-elected.
Earlier, Friedrich Merz called for early parliamentary elections in Germany on January 19, before U.S. President Donald Trump takes office.
The call for early elections came after a political crisis in Germany that began on November 6, when Scholz decided to dismiss the Finance Minister and leader of one of the coalition parties, Christian Lindner.
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