Merkel and Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, 17 March 2017. Photo by Profimedia
In an exclusive interview with CNN, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel shared her impressions of working with Donald Trump during his first term in office. According to her, the newly elected US president showed a “fascination with absolute power”, which is demonstrated by leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
Fascination with autocratic leaders
“The way he spoke about Putin, the way he mentioned Kim Jong-un – of course, apart from the critical remarks – there was always a sense of admiration for what these people can afford because of their absolute power,” Merkel said.
She recalled their first meeting at the White House in 2017. Then, near the famous fireplace in the Oval Office, journalists asked Trump and Merkel to shake hands for a photo. However, Trump ignored this request, which caused a wide media outcry.
Trump’s “originality”
Angela Merkel described Trump as a man who “lives off of eccentricity” and often seeks to make an impression. She noted that Trump was “obviously fascinated” by Putin and “admired” autocratic politicians.
“My impression has always been that he wanted to bypass the parliamentary mechanisms, which he considered a burden, and wanted to make decisions on his own,” Merkel said. She stressed that this approach is incompatible with democratic values.
A threat to democracies
The former Chancellor also discussed her new memoir , Freedom, which covers her 16-year period as leader of Europe’s largest economy. In the book, she describes how her life was divided into two equal parts: she spent the first 35 years as a chemist in the communist GDR and the rest in a free democracy.
However, according to Merkel, modern liberal democracies are under threat.
“These days, liberal democracies are under attack. They are under pressure,” she said, adding that their defence is one of the key challenges of our time.
Merkel emphasised that the experience of the migration crisis, climate change and the pandemic only confirmed the importance of preserving democratic values in a world that is becoming increasingly complex and polarised.
