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much to Germans
By Jenny Hill
BBC Berlin correspondent
Published
5 days ago
image captionAmerican football players in Berlin say they are watching the US
election closely
President Trump - who once claimed he'd charmed Angela Merkel - remains
deeply unpopular in Germany. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found
that Germany rates the US president particularly unfavourably.
For her part, the German chancellor has never warmed to President Trump's style
or his politics. She was openly dismayed by his dismissive attitude towards Nato,
his withdrawal from the Paris agreement on climate change, and his rejection of
the Iran nuclear agreement.
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The lack of personal chemistry between the leaders has been in stark contrast to
the relationship Mrs Merkel developed with Barack Obama. It's no secret in Berlin
that the government has struggled to replicate the same level of co-operation with
the Trump administration.
But Mrs Merkel won't be dealing with the White House for much longer. Germany is
looking ahead to its own significant election.
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionThe body language between Merkel and Trump tells a thousand
words
Norbert Roettgen, who chairs the German foreign affairs committee, is one of the
candidates hoping to replace Mrs Merkel when she stands down next year.
"The four years of the Trump presidency have meant that everything, very
fundamentally, has been called into question. The very existence of Nato, the
predictability of US foreign policy. It has been a disruption which we haven't seen
since World War Two."
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He, like many in Berlin, fears that another term for President Trump could do
irreparable damage to the transatlantic relationship.
"We are concerned. I'm totally convinced that the prospect of another four years
would not only mean that we're going to see more of the same, but I'm quite certain
we would see an acceleration of everything we've experienced.
"Because then President Trump would not be under the pressure to be re-elected.
He would be unshackled."
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It took many in Berlin by surprise that the president of a country long considered an
ally, a military and trading partner, has singled out Germany as a target for such
fierce and sustained criticism.
There've been clashes over defence spending (Germany is increasing expenditure
but still falls short of the 2% GDP target agreed with Nato), Germany's trade
surplus with the US, and the construction of the controversial Nordstream 2
pipeline which will double the amount of Russian gas entering Europe via
Germany.
But it was President Trump's decision to reduce the number of US troops stationed
in Germany which perhaps most potently symbolised the depths to which the
transatlantic relationship had plummeted.