Germany's Merz repeats criticism of US: I would not advise my children to go'

"“I am a great admirer of America. At the moment my admiration is not growing,” he said during a podium discussion, citing the quickly changing social climate in the deeply polarised country. “I would not advise my children today to go to the US, get educated there or work there, simply because a certain social climate has suddenly developed there.”"

"“Today, even the best-educated people in America are finding it very hard to get a job,” the 70-year-old father of three continued. Speaking about his own country, Merz urged Germans not to fall into a disaster mode about the state of the world and encouraged them to feel more optimistic about their homeland's potential."

"“I firmly believe that there are few countries in the world that offer such great opportunities, especially for young people, as Germany,” he said. The remarks about the US immediately drew a furious response from Trump's camp, as Richard Grenell attacked Merz on X."

"“@_FriedrichMerz has become the European President of the TDS Society, or Trump derangement syndrome,” Grenell said. He said that when Merz met with Trump at the White House, most recently in March, he was completely soft and complimentary and cited Friday's comments as contradicting that conciliatory approach."

Merz, a German conservative leader, said he would not recommend that his children study or work in the US because the social climate has changed quickly. He stated that even well-educated people in America are finding it hard to get jobs. He urged Germans not to adopt a disaster mindset about global conditions and encouraged optimism about Germany’s opportunities, especially for young people. He expressed continued admiration for America while saying that admiration was not growing at present. His remarks prompted a furious response from Trump’s camp, including criticism on social media by Richard Grenell, who accused Merz of contradicting earlier conciliatory behavior toward Trump.

Read at www.theguardian.com