Merz, in his TV interview, referred to that comment as an “absurd observation” and suggested he may choose to raise the issue in a scheduled call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday.
Asked whether he would deal with Trump by using charm or straight talk, Merz said he would “openly represent” German and European positions.
“Together, we are even bigger than the U.S.,” Merz said, speaking of the European Union. “The number of consumers here is greater than in America and Canada combined. So, we have something to offer here. We can do something. We are united, to a large extent anyway, and that will be my message to the American government.”
Merz said he would meet Trump in person for the first time at the NATO summit in The Hague in June at the latest. In order to coordinate a common European strategy on defense ahead of that meeting, Merz is traveling to both Paris and Warsaw Wednesday to meet his counterparts.
During his campaign, Merz vowed that Germany, under his leadership, would play a bigger role on the European stage. But an embarrassing initial failure to become chancellor on Tuesday in the Bundestag highlighted his relative political weakness and slim parliamentary majority at home, potentially hindering his ability to follow through on his campaign promises.
