The German chancellor suggested that Trump’s tactics are not likely to change despite a shift in legislative power following recent elections in the US. Other German leaders previously expressed more optimism.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed scepticism Wednesday that US President Donald Trump would change his approach to governing despite the Democrats’ stunning victory in the midterm elections.
“Quite frankly, over the last two years Trump has largely governed by bypassing Congress. Why should that be any different now?” he said at an event in Berlin, a day after US voters dealt the president’s Republicans a historic defeat.
“Most of the time he has worked with executive orders, and that is what he will continue to pursue.”
Earlier Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul struck a more optimistic tone, saying he hoped the “very clear” Democrat victory might bring new initiatives to end conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“With their majority in both chambers of Congress, the Democratic Party will likely seek to shift the political course in the United States,” Wadephul said.
Through close cooperation between the United States and Europe, “there may be a new opportunity to launch a fresh initiative” to resolve conflicts, he said.
Wadephul said he was “quite optimistic” that US aid for Ukraine — which has been slashed under Trump — would be the subject of “more discussion” by US lawmakers from both parties.
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The minister also noted that Trump’s tariffs and the US war against Iran both appeared to play a role in the election result by driving up the cost of living.
Trump’s tariffs on the European Union and auto imports hit Germany — the bloc’s biggest economy — particularly hard, as have rising energy costs blamed on the Middle East war.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
