Traditional ally of the United States, Berlin has distanced itself from Washington since Donald Trump returned to the White House, and has been critical since the start of the war against Iran.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz advised young Germans on Friday, May 15, to study and work in the United States, amid tensions with President Donald Trump. “I would not recommend my children to go to the United States today, to study and work there,” said the conservative leader during a conference in front of young Catholics in Bavaria, receiving applause from the audience.
“Simply because a certain social climate has suddenly developed there,” he continued. Traditional ally of the United States, Berlin has distanced itself from Washington since Donald Trump returned to the White House, and has been critical since the start of the war against Iran. In late April, the chancellor stated that Tehran “was humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table.
“Many difficulties in finding a job”
In response, the White House chief said that his counterpart was doing a “deplorable” job at the helm of Germany and announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from the country, a decision long awaited according to the chancellor. On Friday, Friedrich Merz assured that he is a “great admirer of the United States”, but that this admiration “is not increasing at the moment.”
“Few countries in the world offer such great prospects, especially for young people, as Germany,” he said. He then praised “the social market economy” as opposed to the “pure capitalism” of the United States where “highly educated people have a lot of difficulties in finding a job.”
The German model therefore deserves to be spoken of “more in terms of opportunities than risks,” concluded Friedrich Merz. Since taking office in May 2025, the chancellor has made controversial statements, contrasting with the style of his recent predecessors.
