Pars Today – What has widened the rift between Germany and the United States since Donald Trump took office, leading to increasing German criticism of the U.S., is the interventionist approach of the Trump administration in Germany’s internal affairs as Europe’s most important country, and its attempts to shape Germany’s political processes.
Since Donald Trump was re-inaugurated as U.S. President on January 20, 2025, there has been an upward trend in interventions by officials of the Trump administration in Germany’s domestic matters. This has provoked negative reactions from German officials and heightened tensions between the two countries. According to Pars Today, in this context, Michael Schoellhorn, head of Airbus Defense, while welcoming the future German government’s plan to increase defense spending, warned Berlin against purchasing military equipment from the U.S. and becoming overly dependent on Washington.
Additionally, a group of executives from prominent German companies and institutions issued a joint statement urging increased military spending in light of the new geopolitical situation but called for halting the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. The statement explained that operating these weapons, such as the F-35s, requires regular software updates and maintenance controlled by the U.S., resulting in continued dependency.
This group of experts estimates that, given the geopolitical climate, a defense budget exceeding 500 billion euros is necessary. They argue that instead of spending money on American aircraft, these funds should be allocated to drones and securing the Baltic Sea. Meanwhile, amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Germany, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering relocating thousands of American troops from Germany to Hungary.
Germany is America’s largest European trading partner. The U.S.’s unilateral policies aimed at ending the Ukraine war, along with its interference in Germany’s internal affairs, including elections and support for far-right groups, have challenged both Germany and all of Europe. Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister, threatened to sever ties with the U.S. ahead of Germany’s recent parliamentary elections. She emphasized that Germany would increase pressure on the Americans to make them realize that if they no longer stand with Europe’s liberal democracies, they will have much to lose.
Indeed, what has widened the rift between Germany and the U.S. since Trump came to power, and led to increasing German criticism of the U.S., is the Trump administration’s interventionist approach in the internal affairs of Germany—the most important European country—and its efforts to shape the country’s political processes. This concern is evident in the first statements of Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), winner of Germany’s recent parliamentary elections, and the country’s future Chancellor.
Merz stated that his top priority is to unite Europe to counter interference from either the U.S. or Russia. His stance is a sharp reaction to the interventionist actions and statements of Elon Musk, Trump’s senior advisor and the head of Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has repeatedly expressed support for Germany’s far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), during election campaigns and harshly criticized current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, calling for his resignation.
Germans are now concerned that the Trump administration, adopting a top-down approach, seeks to impose its demands on Germany in political, economic, trade, military, and security arenas, potentially undermining the country’s independence and freedom. As Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, said with tears in his eyes amidst the sorrow and despair of European leaders: “Our values are no longer aligned with those of the U.S., and America has abandoned Europe in favor of its classical enemies.”
Now, the voice of fascism echoes through Trump and his Vice President JD Vance. Following several recent speeches by Vance in Europe, he has become known in European political circles as “Mussolini II.” Far-right parties across Europe, aiming for political power, have pinned their hopes on political and financial support from Trump and his team, including Elon Musk. Musk, who shares significant ideological similarities with Trump, aims to bring about fundamental changes in Europe’s political landscape by supporting movements and far-right parties like Germany’s AfD.
From Musk and Trump’s perspective, strengthening far-right parties in European countries, including Germany, fosters greater ideological alignment across the Atlantic, paving the way for increased U.S. influence over European nations and shaping their policies to align with broader U.S. objectives. / Mir Taher
MG
