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 against Iran.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz advised young Germans this Friday, May 15, to study and work in the United States, amidst a clash with US 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, earning applause from the audience.
“Simply because a certain social climate has suddenly developed there,” he continued.
Tensions between Trump and Merz
A traditional ally of the United States, Berlin has distanced itself from Washington since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and has been critical since the beginning of the war against Iran. In late April, the chancellor stated that Tehran “humiliated” Washington at the negotiating table.
In response, the White House chief said his counterpart was doing a “terrible” 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 “is not increasing at the moment.” “Few countries in the world offer such great opportunities, especially for young people, as Germany,” he said.
He then praised the “social market economy” in opposition to the “pure capitalism” of the United States where “highly educated people have a lot of difficulty finding a job.” Therefore, the German model deserves to be seen “more as chances than risks,” concluded Friedrich Merz.
