Trump does not like the refugee policy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He stated in March: “What Merkel did to Germany is a shame, it’s a sad, sad shame.” Later he added ” I was very disappointed in this move with the whole immigration thing.”
After the elections, Angela Merkel told the media in a formal statement in her office:
“Germany and America are bound by common values — democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity of each and every person, regardless of their origin, skin color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or political views. It is based on these values that I wish to offer close cooperation, both with me personally and between our countries’ governments
Without these values, no close cooperation with Germany.
- The election of a new American president is an event that is highly significant well beyond the borders of the USA, said Angela Merkel in a statement in Berlin.
- Germany’s relations with the USA are particularly close. “We do not have closer links to any other country outside the European Union than we have to the United States of America.”
- Whoever rules the United States – “an old and honourable democracy” in Angela Merkel’s words, a huge country that is economically and militarily strong, bears a responsibility that can be felt almost everywhere in the world. “Americans have decided that Donald Trump should be the one to bear this responsibility for the next four years.”
Linked by shared values. - At the government press conference, federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert added that, because of their history since the Second World War, Germany and the USA are “closely linked by friendship and partnership” thanks to precisely these values. On this basis and within the framework of this tradition the Chancellor “naturally offers the future president, Donald Trump, close cooperation” he said.
In her statement, Angela Merkel also stressed that the partnership with the USA will remain a cornerstone of Germany’s foreign policy. “So that we can successfully address the great challenges of our time: the quest for economic and social well-being, the effort to achieve forward-looking climate policy, the fight against terrorism, poverty, hunger and disease, the commitment to peace and liberty – in Germany, in Europe and in the world.”
Federal Foreign Office spokesperson Martin Schäfer said at the press conference that, even under the new US administration, transatlantic relations are “close enough, firm enough and strong enough” to serve as the foundations for the common action of the West to address global crises. NATO is “part of this foundation of our transatlantic community of interests and values”.
