“Angela Merkel, in particular, took time to single out ‘Donald Trump’s America’, stating that Europe could no longer rely on the United States.”
Donald Trump has wrapped up his tour of the Middle East and Europe, and is back in the United States. The President has drawn praise from supporters for his strong “pro American” stance, along with criticism from his detractors, who have accused the President of being tone deaf and heavy handed. Among European leaders, it appears that the President has left a particularly bad taste.
French President Emmanuel Macron got caught in an intense handshake standoff with the President. Apparently, the French president wanted to prove that his country would not make concessions. Macron also tweeted a photo of other G7 leaders without Trump present, and noted that they were perfectly happy without the President around. Other European leaders took small shots at the President as well.
The biggest waves, however, were created by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Chancellor didn’t just engage Trump in some petty handshake war, but went out of her way to question whether or not Europe could count on the United States. Importantly, the comments weren’t made behind closed doors, but instead to the general public at a media event.
Trump fired back, taking to Twitter as per usual to note:
We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2017
The United States does suffer a massive trade deficit with Germany. From January to March of this year, the United States exported just under $13 billion dollars worth of goods to Germany. America imported nearly $28 billion from Germany, creating a trade deficit of nearly $15 billion dollars. This deficit is in line with previous years.
The NATO comment is a bit more difficult to defend. Germany contributes about 15% to NATO’s budget, while the United States contributes just over 22%. Given that America’s economy and population are several times larger than Germany’s, it would seem that the country is pulling its own weight.
What did Angela Merkel Actually Say and Why?
Angela Merkel, in particular, took time to single out “Donald Trump’s America”, stating that Europe could no longer rely on the United States. Instead, Europe must take its destiny into its own hands. Merkel also singled out the United Kingdom and Brexit as further proof of Europe’s need to be self-reliant.
These comments on their own are alarming, but Merkel went even further, suggesting that the times of the collective West, meaning Europe and the United States/Canada, is “somewhat over.” But Merkel was quick to note that Germany and Europe would continue to strive for warm relations with the United States and the United Kingdom.
Both the United States and United Kingdom were washed over by waves of “populism.” Voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, while American voters tossed aside polls and experts to elect Donald Trump. Just a year ago, the idea of President Trump and Brexit seemed nearly impossible for experts to comprehend.
Both events have created turmoil in the global geopolitical environment.
