- Richard Grenell, the former US ambassador to Germany, said on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention that he saw President Donald Trump as “German Chancellor Angela Merkel”.
- When asked about the comment at a press conference on Friday, Merkel saw me mystified by the suggestion, and then refused to comment.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel looked mystified when asked if President Donald Trump had her “charm”.
Richard Grenell, the former US ambassador to Germany, made the suggestion Wednesday during a speech at the Republican National Convention.
Asked about the comment during Friday’s press conference, Merkel shrugged off the reporter and said, “Did he do something?”
When the reporter added that Grenell had said that Trump “charmed” Merkel, Merkel stopped and smiled then. People at the press conference started laughing, and Merkel joined in.
She then declined to comment, saying she did not speak in private.
Watch the clip below:
—Marcel Dirsus (@marceldirsus) August 28, 2020
When Grenell made the claim on Wednesday night, Twitter exploded with videos in which Merkel acted illegally on Trump.
—E. Vaughan (@NeutrinaV) August 27, 2020
-Russchoma (@russchoma) August 27, 2020
—Andrew Palmer (@andrewDC_) August 27, 2020
The two leaders have had a frustrating relationship in the four years since Trump was elected.
After Trump tweeted in July 2019 that four progressive congressional women would “go back and help solve the completely broken and criminal places they came from,” Merkel criticized the comment at a press conference.
She said she “without question” distanced herself from Trump and stood “in solidarity” with the congressional women who were “attacked.”
A month earlier, Trump had threatened Germany with sanctions over a gas pipeline connecting Germany with Russia, from which Germany buys much of its energy. He also accused Germany of failing to meet NATO’s target of spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense.
