German Chancellor Merz Criticizes U.S. Climate Under Trump

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz escalated a high-profile spat with President Donald Trump, saying he would not advise young people to study or work in the United States under Trump’s leadership, Isabel van Brugen reported for The Daily Beast.

Merz cited concerns about the “social climate” that has developed in the country under the second Trump administration. (Photo: Friedrich Merz Facebook)

“I would not recommend to my children today that they go to the US to get an education and work,” Merz said at a Catholic Congress panel in the city of Würzburg, citing concerns about the “social climate” that has developed in the country under the second Trump administration.

“Even the best educated in America have great difficulty finding a job,” Merz added.

The remarks are likely to further strain Merz’s already tense relationship with Trump.

Last month, the German chancellor criticized the president’s Iran war strategy as having “humiliated” the US, arguing that Washington “quite obviously went into this war without any strategy.”

Merz, who has three children and seven grandchildren, said that he remains a “great admirer of America,” but added that “right now, my admiration is not increasing.”