As Germany’s new Prime Minister Friedrich Merz will meet President Donald Trump for the first time at the White House on Thursday, he will know how his predecessor is working on transatlantic relations.
But the stars don’t work. During his first appointment, Trump made regular patriotic remarks about Germany and formed a relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel, characterized by mutual personal dislikes.
Trump’s volatile trade policy, which the EU and Germany are specifically in sight, and his retreat from the traditionally solid transatlantic crossing on common defense and Russia, challenged Mertz before he moved to Prime Minister.
How Meltz and Trump’s interactions develop in the future will likely depend heavily on how the Prime Minister completes his first visit to the elliptical office – volodymyr Zelenskyy sends his respects!
The basic problem with Meltz is that Trump has taken x into German-American relations and is not particularly interested in his good relationship with Berlin.
This situation is novel for the German Prime Minister. While Meltz’s predecessors have experienced ups and downs in their relationships with their respective US presidents since 1949, the intimate friendship between the two countries has not been questioned.
So how did they get along?
Konrad Adenauer (1949-63) vs. Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy
Konrad Adenauer is 73 years old, elected the first prime minister of the German Federal Republic in 1949. Four years after World War II, the country is not yet a sovereign nation.
Adenauer is far too aware of this. He seeks a close, reliable relationship with the United States and is very closely attached to directions from Washington.
In 1953, Adenauer travels to the United States for the first time – it is his first visit to Washington by the German government chief! His story with President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) is friendly.
For Adenauer, US protection, aid and military presence are essential not only for European peace and prosperity, but also for German democratic development.
Adenauer develops a close personal relationship with Eisenhower, particularly his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
In contrast, the relationship between Adenauer and John F. Kennedy (1961-63) is not without problems.
The two are far apart in terms of age and politics. In 1963, last year in office, Adenauer was already 87 years old, and his junior, 41-year-old Kennedy, considers him a man of his past.
Kennedy feels that the Prime Minister’s stance on German questions is too stiff and inflexible in the face of changing situations in Europe.
Conversely, Adenauer has a distrust of America-Soviet negotiations. He believes that reconciliation between the two superpowers can only be made at the expense of Germany and its political goals of unity.
Ludwig Erhard (1963-66) vs. Lyndon B. Johnson
After the discrepancy between Adenauer and JFK, the relationship between Prime Minister Ludwig Elhard and Kennedy’s successor Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69) becomes very friendly once again.
Germany’s foreign policy has been characterized by the conflict between “Atlantics” and “Garst”, the latter wanting a close alliance with France, with El-Hard rejecting US nuclear protection.
Elhard and Johnson met sympathetically from the start, and have met five times during Elhard’s tenure. A month after Johnson took office, when the Texan invited German to a Texas ranch, he was particularly honored to foreigners.
Willie Brandt (1969-1974) vs. Richard Nixon
Willie Brandt was the first Social Democrat to become federal prime minister in 1974. Blunt sees himself as a confident partner in the United States. However, his “Ostpolitik” seeking understanding with the GDR, Poland and the Soviet Union is being seen with great suspicion in Washington.
US President Richard Nixon (1969-74) distrusts the brands he considers to be “German nationalist.” Meanwhile, Brandt has tried to maintain good relations with Nixon and avoided open criticism of the war in Vietnam.
Personally, the two have little to say to each other. Nixon hints at Brandt’s illegitimate origins, sometimes calling him “The Bastard” in a closed room.
Helmut Schmidt (1974-82) vs. Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter
In the mid-1970s, German-American relationships are better than ever. US President Gerald Ford (1974-77) and German Prime Minister Helmut Schmidt know each other, thankful, and close friends in their personal lives.
There is a lot of consensus on important issues and there is a reliable openness when discussing differences.
However, Ford loses the 1976 election to his challenger Jimmy Carter (1977-81).
Carter has inexperienced foreign policy, relying on a team of advisors separated from the East Coast think tanks, who have been linked to Schmidt for decades and enjoy a high reputation.
Schmidt, who tends to lecture people, sees Carter as a beginner with limited understanding of the world’s complex issues.
This is not noticed by Carter – the relationship quickly hit the bottom of the rock.
There is a serious disagreement regarding the deployment of neutron bombs. Schmidt advocates the weapons system Washington desires amid the great political challenges of the country.
When Carter stops production at the last minute for domestic political reasons, Schmidt feels exposed and abandoned.
Helmutcole (1982-1998) vs. Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton
Unlike Schmidt, Helmut Cole has no personal connection to the US and cannot speak English. Nevertheless, he shows transatlantic solidarity from the start, striving to establish personal relationships with all the US presidents he deals with.
His relationship with Ronald Reagan (1981-89) even has friendly features that last long even the embarrassing Bitberg controversy.
In 1985, Cole invites Reagan to visit Bitberg military cemetery in the Eifel area during his stay in Germany as a sign of a reconciliation between his former enemies.
A digging storm breaks out in Washington when it is discovered that not only Wehrmacht soldiers but also members of Waffen SS are buried in the cemetery.
The White House wants to cancel the visit, but Reagan remains stubborn and is supporting the German Prime Minister.
Cole also develops friendly and close relationships with Reagan’s successor George Bush (1989-93), promoting communication between the two governments during the collapse of the GDR and the collapse of the German unification process.
In the 1990s, German-American relationships are determined by the question of how much responsibility Germany should be in the world, particularly in the matter.
US President Bill Clinton (1993-2001), whose relationship is even better than Reagan, responds positively to Germany’s decision to send Vandeswale soldiers to the Balkans as part of the international peacekeeping forces.
In his memoirs, Clinton speaks almost lovingly and respectful of his gratitude for Cole. For decades, he has not only been Europe’s most impressive political leader, according to Clinton.
Gerhard Schröder (1998-2005) vs. George W. Bush
The relationship between German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder and US President George W. Bush has developed quite differently. The atmosphere between Bonn (later Berlin) and Washington is probably not as icy as it was in the year.
Why: The Red-Green Government is no to war in Iraq.
Mistrust, personal animus, blatant dislike – the rift between the two leaders is the sum.
This became clear again, and a few years later, both were no longer in office and accused them of lying when Bush’s memoir was published in 2010.
Angela Merkel (2005-21) vs. Barack Obama
Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, German-American relationships relax once again. Unlike Schröder, Bush gets along well with Merkel and calls her a “friend.”
In contrast, the relationship between the prime minister and Barack Obama is slow to warm.
In 2008, she refuses to allow then-presidential candidates to give speeches in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin – Obama must make it in time for her victory column.
However, after Obama’s election, relationships are increasingly characterized by mutual trust.
Both cultivate calm and practical political styles and liberal views of the world and promote cooperation.
Olaf Scholz (2021-25) vs Joe Biden
In a way, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz is lucky. US President Joe Biden is perhaps the last great old-fashioned us Atlantic. This makes cooperation easier.
They both work together like each other in a spirit of trust and describe each other as friends.
In fact, Scholz consults with Biden more frequently and closely than his European colleagues.
When it comes to support Ukraine, Scholz does nothing without Biden’s approval.
At their last meeting, both warned against ending aid to Ukraine. This is now a problem for their successors.
