German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil on Friday defended Chancellor Friedrich Merz against criticism from US President Donald Trump, pushing back after Trump lashed out over Merz’s comment that Tehran had “humiliated” Washington.
Klingbeil, who is also Germany’s finance minister, said Germany did not need advice from Trump amid the Iran war and urged the US president to focus on securing peace talks. “We really don’t need any advice from Donald Trump right now. He should see the mess he’s made. He should make sure that serious peace talks are now being held in Iran,” Klingbeil said at a Labor Day event in Bergkamen in the Ruhr region.
Although Merz (conservative) and Klingbeil (centre-left Social Democrat) do not always agree politically, the vice chancellor backed his coalition colleague against Trump’s social media attacks. Klingbeil noted Trump’s recent criticism of the German government and the chancellor and said the US president now bore responsibility for ending the war and preventing economic fallout from hitting workers, consumers and businesses.
Klingbeil also questioned Trump’s expectations for a quick resolution, saying, “I think he really thought it would be a matter of two or three days and then everything would be fine.” He added that Europe must be economically strong enough “that we don’t have to let ourselves be blackmailed by anyone,” and insisted Germany should not be dependent on “what mood Donald Trump is in today or tomorrow.”
The remarks followed Merz’s accusation that the US entered the conflict without a clear strategy and his warning that Iran was humiliating Washington in negotiations. Trump replied that Merz “has no idea what he’s talking about,” urged him to interfere less in US efforts, and told the chancellor to focus more on ending the Russia-Ukraine war and addressing issues at home, including immigration and energy. Tensions have risen, with Trump threatening to reduce US troop levels in Germany.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko