Warning Habeck, who is simply a Green organization candidate for Chancellor in upcoming elections in Germany, appeared the same day as a somewhat more optimistic message by his centre-right opponent Friedrich Merz, who called Trump “very predictable”.
Speaking at the Munich Greens electoral rally, Habeck said that the EU country "with the largest trade surplus is Germany—and that is the salt in Donald Trump's eye".
— Although Trump can impose criminal trade measures only on the European Union as a whole, we can be rather certain that the duties he wants to impose will be targeted in specified a way that they will hit the German economy especially,” Habeck argued.
LUX BARTH / PAPRobert Habeck, Munich, 18 January 2025.
In the past, Trump criticized the European Union for not buying adequate American cars or agricultural products. He is besides reportedly obsessed with the number of German cars on the streets of Manhattan.
Habeck stressed that the EU was ready to "front" American customs tariffs, but argued that Germany had to do more to strengthen Europe. “No substance what the next German government wants to do, it has to do it in a European way,” he said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the German centre-right CDU and the likely future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Saturday that Trump's actions would not be a surprise for Europe. He does what he says. I think we can anticipate much more clarity in this respect in the coming weeks and months," he said.
Merz added that Trump is forcing the EU to undertake reforms that are inactive necessary, specified as strengthening Europe's defence capabilities.
