Friedrich Merz advised young Germans on Friday to study and work in the United States, highlighting “a certain social climate.” The German chancellor has been critical of the United States since the beginning of the war with Iran.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz advised young Germans on Friday, May 15, to study and work in the United States, amidst a clash with American President Donald Trump.
“I would not recommend my children to go to the United States today, to study and work there,” declared 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.
Tensions between Trump and Merz
Traditionally an 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 with Iran. In late April, the chancellor stated that Tehran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiation table.
To which the White House chief responded that his counterpart was doing a “dreadful” job at the helm of Germany and announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers from the country, a long-awaited decision according to the chancellor.
On Friday, Friedrich Merz assured that he is a “great admirer of the United States,” but that this admiration “does not increase at the moment.” “Few countries in the world offer such fantastic opportunities, especially for young people, as Germany does,” he noted.
He then praised the “social market economy” in opposition to the “pure capitalism” of the United States where “highly educated people struggle to find employment.” The German model deserves to be seen as “more about opportunities than risks,” concluded Friedrich Merz.
