Merz’s strategy for dealing with Trump’s anger: Tell him he’s right – POLITICO

BERLIN — Facing new tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump on Germany’s prized auto industry — immediately after his threat to withdraw American troops — Chancellor Friedrich Merz has offered a disarmingly conciliatory response: Trump is essentially right.

Since Merz broke from his usual measured script to sharply criticize the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran war last week, an angered U.S. president has retaliated by targeting Germany’s weak spots: its reliance on the U.S. for security, as well as its export-oriented economy at a moment of worsening economic pain.

But despite the severity of the American threats, Merz and his ministers are playing down the risks and have reverted to their traditional game-plan of telling Trump exactly what he wants to hear, on both trade and the Iran war.