Berlin, GermanyReuters —
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday said he would advise his children against living or studying in the United States at the moment, citing a rapidly changing social climate and limited opportunities even for the highly educated.
The remarks highlight tensions between the United States and its European allies under President Donald Trump, with disputes over trade, the wars in Ukraine and now Iran putting the NATO alliance under strain.
Merz last month said the United States was being humiliated in the Iran war, angering Trump. Days later, Washington announced a partial troop withdrawal from Germany and tariff hikes on European Union cars, a sector where Germany is strong.
Speaking to a young audience at a Catholic convention in Wuerzburg, Merz said people were too prone to think in “disaster mode” about the state of the world and urged Germans to feel more optimistic about their own country’s potential.
