‘Trump is unpredictable’: How Germany is reacting to US election results

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday congratulated US presidential election winner Donald Trump and urged continued close trans-Atlantic ties, telling him: “We’re better off together” – but many in Germany are wary.

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Political leaders in Germany congratulated the election winner and former US president following his historic comeback. 
But some newspapers and politicians were less positive. 
“Together we can achieve much more than against each other,” added the centre-left leader of Europe’s biggest economy.

“Both sides benefit from the trans-Atlantic partnership,” Scholz said in a statement to media. “The EU and the USA are two similarly large economic areas, linked by the closest economic relations in the world.”
In an earlier message he posted on X, the chancellor said that “Germany and the USA have long been working together successfully to promote prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to do so for the benefit of our citizens.”
TELL US: Share your feelings about the US presidential election
I congratulate @realDonaldTrump on his election as US President. For a long time, Germany and the US have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens.— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) November 6, 2024

The messages amounted to a pledge for a fresh start after Trump’s last term in the White House, when he berated the NATO ally on what he deemed insufficient defence spending as well as on trade and other issues.
Although some German news sites were not so positive. Zeit Online, a high profile newspaper, led earlier on Wednesday with a picture of Trump and the title: ‘F*ck’, as part of an opinion piece on how it felt to watch the results come in.
Home page of one of Germany’s biggest weeklies right now pic.twitter.com/zK8bbnVO89— Tom Nuttall (@tom_nuttall) November 6, 2024

 
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also congratulated Trump and pledged that Berlin stood ready to remain “a close and reliable ally” to Washington.
The minister, just back from a visit to war-torn Ukraine, added in comments to the media that “Europeans will now have to assume even more responsibility for security policy”.
During Trump’s last term in the White House, bilateral ties were badly strained as the Republican president berated the NATO ally on what he deemed insufficient defence spending and on trade issues.

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Baerbock said that “Germany will be a close, reliable ally for the future American government, that is what we are offering.”
“As in any good partnership, where there are undoubtedly political differences, an honest and, above all, intensive exchange is more important than ever.”
She said that during her latest visit to Ukraine, as it fights against Russian forces, “I have felt more clearly than ever before how much depends on Europeans and Americans standing up together for freedom, international law and democracy”.
READ ALSO: What will the US election results mean for Germany?
The minister said that a just peace there “will only be possible with the Ukrainians, with the Europeans and with the USA”.
“For me, for us, it is clear: we Europeans will now have to take on even more responsibility for security policy.”
Baerbock added that “in these stormy geopolitical times, we need to work together, on both sides of the Atlantic, more than ever –- for our freedom, our prosperity and our way of life.”

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Norbert Roettgen, a veteran foreign policy expert from the conservative German opposition party CDU, described Trump’s victory in less diplomatic terms.
“Trump is unpredictable,” he told the Rheinische Post daily. “If there were further support for Ukraine under him, that would be a surprise. He believes that the Europeans should do it themselves, and this position is popular in the USA.”
He predicted a “period of stress in trans-Atlantic relations” and said it would be up to Europe “to do our part much more quickly and comprehensively for the trans-Atlantic partnership.”
One of the first German politicians to congratulate Trump was Alice Weidel of the far-right Alternative for Germany, who wrote on X early Wednesday: “Congratulations to Donald J. Trump on becoming the 47th President of the United States!”
Congratulations to Donald J. Trump on becoming the 47th President of the United States! 🇺🇸 #POTUS47 #USAElection2024 pic.twitter.com/YhwlVeltzb— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) November 6, 2024

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also congratulated Trump, expressing hope that Washington and Brussels will work together on a “strong transatlantic agenda”.
“I warmly congratulate Donald J. Trump,” she wrote on X. “The EU and the US are more than just allies. We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens.
“So let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that keeps delivering for them.”
With reporting by Rachel Loxton

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Political leaders in Germany congratulated the election winner and former US president following his historic comeback. 
But some newspapers and politicians were less positive. 
“Together we can achieve much more than against each other,” added the centre-left leader of Europe’s biggest economy.
“Both sides benefit from the trans-Atlantic partnership,” Scholz said in a statement to media. “The EU and the USA are two similarly large economic areas, linked by the closest economic relations in the world.”
In an earlier message he posted on X, the chancellor said that “Germany and the USA have long been working together successfully to promote prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to do so for the benefit of our citizens.”
TELL US: Share your feelings about the US presidential election

I congratulate @realDonaldTrump on his election as US President. For a long time, Germany and the US have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens.
The messages amounted to a pledge for a fresh start after Trump’s last term in the White House, when he berated the NATO ally on what he deemed insufficient defence spending as well as on trade and other issues.
Although some German news sites were not so positive. Zeit Online, a high profile newspaper, led earlier on Wednesday with a picture of Trump and the title: ‘F*ck’, as part of an opinion piece on how it felt to watch the results come in.

Home page of one of Germany’s biggest weeklies right now pic.twitter.com/zK8bbnVO89
 
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also congratulated Trump and pledged that Berlin stood ready to remain “a close and reliable ally” to Washington.
The minister, just back from a visit to war-torn Ukraine, added in comments to the media that “Europeans will now have to assume even more responsibility for security policy”.
During Trump’s last term in the White House, bilateral ties were badly strained as the Republican president berated the NATO ally on what he deemed insufficient defence spending and on trade issues.
Baerbock said that “Germany will be a close, reliable ally for the future American government, that is what we are offering.”
“As in any good partnership, where there are undoubtedly political differences, an honest and, above all, intensive exchange is more important than ever.”
She said that during her latest visit to Ukraine, as it fights against Russian forces, “I have felt more clearly than ever before how much depends on Europeans and Americans standing up together for freedom, international law and democracy”.
READ ALSO: What will the US election results mean for Germany?
The minister said that a just peace there “will only be possible with the Ukrainians, with the Europeans and with the USA”.
“For me, for us, it is clear: we Europeans will now have to take on even more responsibility for security policy.”
Baerbock added that “in these stormy geopolitical times, we need to work together, on both sides of the Atlantic, more than ever –- for our freedom, our prosperity and our way of life.”
Norbert Roettgen, a veteran foreign policy expert from the conservative German opposition party CDU, described Trump’s victory in less diplomatic terms.
“Trump is unpredictable,” he told the Rheinische Post daily. “If there were further support for Ukraine under him, that would be a surprise. He believes that the Europeans should do it themselves, and this position is popular in the USA.”
He predicted a “period of stress in trans-Atlantic relations” and said it would be up to Europe “to do our part much more quickly and comprehensively for the trans-Atlantic partnership.”
One of the first German politicians to congratulate Trump was Alice Weidel of the far-right Alternative for Germany, who wrote on X early Wednesday: “Congratulations to Donald J. Trump on becoming the 47th President of the United States!”

Congratulations to Donald J. Trump on becoming the 47th President of the United States! 🇺🇸 #POTUS47 #USAElection2024 pic.twitter.com/YhwlVeltzb
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also congratulated Trump, expressing hope that Washington and Brussels will work together on a “strong transatlantic agenda”.
“I warmly congratulate Donald J. Trump,” she wrote on X. “The EU and the US are more than just allies. We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens.
“So let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that keeps delivering for them.”
With reporting by Rachel Loxton