Overview

• Merkel characterized President Trump as an attention seeker whose tariff strategy is aimed at drawing focus and proving his abilities to U.S. voters.
• She recalled Trump’s refusal to shake her hand in the Oval Office in 2017 and criticized his zero-sum worldview shaped by his background as a property entrepreneur.
• The former chancellor cautioned that Vice President J.D. Vance’s demand for alignment with an American concept of freedom poses a risk to European democratic norms.
• Drawing on her memoir, Merkel described bursting into tears during the 2015 Greek debt crisis summit as a sign of her dedication to European solidarity and opposition to a Grexit.
• European leaders are racing to finalize a trade agreement before July 8 to avert the impact of planned reciprocal tariffs.