Merz triumphs at Trump: A visit full of political signals!

Merz triumphs at Trump: A visit full of political signals!

On Thursday, June 6, 2025, Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited former US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House. The Hugh Scott Room, in which the meeting took place, is not very impressive and has no windows. Despite the simple environment, Merz drawn a positive conclusion from the meeting and emphasized the establishment of a good personal relationship with Trump. Republican Senator Pete Ricketts praised Merz, while the democratic Senator Chris Coons observed Merz with a smile, which was interpreted as a good sign. Senator Lindsey Graham found in a comment that Merz is "still on his feet", which indicates a positive perception of the meeting.

The 45-minute conversation between Merz and Trump was primarily about the geopolitical situation, especially about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Merz said that Trump plays a central role in the efforts to terminate the conflict. In addition, discussions with several senators took place, including three Democrats and two Republicans. These meant an important exchange because the congress is currently employed with Trump's tax law. The majority of the senators support new sanctions against Russia, which were imposed due to the war of aggression. At the moment, more than 12,000 sanctions against Russia are in force, which isolated the country internationally.

reactions in Germany

The response to Merz ’Visit was different. While the transatlantic coordinator of the SPD, Metin Hakverdi, described the visit as a success and highlighted the importance of the personal relationship with Trump, Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul (CDU) also praised the discussions as a "good start". CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen supported Merz ’sovereign appearance and emphasized the need to put additional pressure on Vladimir Putin. Sigmar Gabriel, former SPD leader, described Merz as a clear and self-confident representative of German interests.

However, the visit also found criticism, especially from the AfD. Tino Chrupalla, the party leader, represented Merz's position as war -oriented and demanded a diplomatic course that strives for peace. Chrupalla referred to the support of prominent US politicians such as Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk for the AfD in the Bundestag election campaign.

reporting in the media

Merz also gave interviews at CNN and FOX News, whereby the topic of AfD was addressed. At Fox News, Merz defended the stability of German democracy and reported that Trump did not address the AfD topic. In an eight-minute interview at CNN, Merz tried not to object to Trump directly and emphasized his key position when the Ukraine War ended. Nevertheless, a visit to the US media remained in the shadow of other topics, such as the dispute between Elon Musk and Trump.

Overall, it remains to be seen which long -term effects will have a visit to transatlantic relationships and German foreign policy. The geopolitical situation, in particular the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, continue to affect political discussions in Germany. German companies have already severely restricted their activities in Russia; These include prominent companies such as Aldi, BASF, Evonik and Henkel. Due to the sanctions, Russian exports have permanently reduced by 36 percent, which has led to a significant economic decline.

In this context, political communication and relationship between Germany and the USA plays a central role in order to be able to react efficiently to the current challenges.