As of February 2026, the relationship between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Donald Trump is characterized by strategic tension and a "deep rift" in transatlantic trust. While Merz has extended an "olive branch" by acknowledging the importance of the U.S. partnership, he has also positioned himself as a vocal critic of Trump's "America Alone" approach.
Relations Between Merz and Trump
Political Friction: Merz recently stated that the rules-based international order "no longer exists" due to Trump’s foreign policy reorientations. He has explicitly rejected the "culture war" of the MAGA movement, asserting it is not Germany's path.
Diplomatic Stance: Despite criticizing U.S. "wrecking-ball politics," Merz maintains that the U.S. is not powerful enough to "go it alone" and urges a repair of the alliance. He recently declined to join Trump's "Board of Peace" for constitutional reasons but remains open to other forms of cooperation.
Deindustrialization and Economic Crisis
The German economy is struggling with persistent stagnation, with growth for 2026 forecast at a modest 1.0%.
Industrial Decline: The manufacturing sector remains in a downturn, driven by high energy costs, weak exports, and fierce competition from China.
Job Losses: In 2025 alone, over 120,000 industrial jobs were lost, and roughly 40% of industrial companies are planning further layoffs in 2026.
Strategic Response: To combat this, the Merz government has pivoted toward massive borrowing, planning to invest up to €1 trillion in defense and infrastructure over the next decade.
"Extreme Moves" and Nuclear Policy
Desperation over shifting global security has led to a significant shift in Germany's nuclear discourse, though not toward independent possession.
European Nuclear Umbrella: Merz is actively exploring a European nuclear deterrence framework in discussions with France and the UK. This is intended to complement, not replace, the U.S. nuclear shield.
Legal Constraints: Germany remains bound by the Two Plus Four Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which prohibit it from possessing its own nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Energy Pivot: In a reversal of previous policy, Merz has announced plans to build new nuclear power plants to address energy dependence and high market prices.
“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a new, more equal trans-Atlantic partnership based on shared interests rather than values that Europe and the U.S. no longer shared.
The comments, in a speech Friday opening this year's Munich Security Conference, capped just more than a year of estrangement and mounting distrust between the U.S. and Europe since the start of President Trump's second term.
In a stark illustration of the strains in the Western alliance, Merz repeated that he began initial talks with French President Emmanuel Macron about creating a European nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. nuclear umbrella in the region. The move betrays deep doubts in Europe about the credibility of the U.S. commitment to protect its North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners against a possible Russian attack -- if need be with nuclear weapons.
Trump has imposed high tariffs on imports from the European Union and other countries in the region, and threatened to annex Denmark-owned Greenland before backing down last month.
His administration also has backed opposition nationalist parties from Germany to the U.K.
"The culture wars of the MAGA movement aren't ours," Merz said. "Freedom of speech ends here when speech is used to attack human dignity and the constitution. We don't believe in tariffs and protectionism but in free trade."
Merz's comments were a response to Vice President JD Vance's address to the conference a year ago, in which he said Europe had turned against Western values such as free speech, and he suggested the U.S. might no longer protect European countries that kept far-right parties out of government.
Merz said it was time to recast the trans-Atlantic partnership as a more transactional alliance where Europe and the U.S. would face each other as equals. "The trans-Atlantic partnership has lost its self-evidence, first in the U.S., then here in Europe, and probably also in this room."
Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy official, who attended the conference, agreed: "We are going to have differences of opinion. The deduction not being, 'Hey, let's pull out,' but rather let's ground our partnership on something more enduring and durable and kind of real. Like shared interests."
A longstanding trans-Atlanticist and admirer of the U.S., Merz stressed he doesn't want a break in the relationship, which he said remained in America's interest. After his election victory a year ago, Merz called on Europe to become independent of the U.S., but he has cultivated a good relationship with Trump.
A German government official described a meeting after the speech between Merz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which the two discussed possible fresh military support for Ukraine, as "very positive and understanding."
A State Department spokesman said Rubio and Merz "reiterated the importance of deepening the U.S.-German partnership."
Without its own nuclear weapons, Germany remains far more reliant on the U.S. for protection than France or the U.K., which have their own arsenals. One-third of U.S. troops based in Europe are in Germany, including at the Ramstein Air Base, the hub for most U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Africa.
Germany's struggling economy also is highly reliant on international trade, including with the U.S., which remains one of its largest markets -- and a big destination for German foreign direct investment -- despite a sharp drop in exports since the introduction of tariffs last April.
Merz first revealed the existence of negotiations about joining a French or a British nuclear umbrella late last month, but he stressed they were at an early stage and aimed to complement -- not replace -- the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
The U.S. stores and maintains tactical nuclear weapons in Germany, which could be deployed in combat by German pilots after a U.S. decision and barring a veto by Germany.
The Wall Street Journal last year revealed the existence of the talks between France and Germany aiming to replicate this arrangement, known as nuclear sharing, and the fact that they were facing several technical and political obstacles.” [1]
1. World News: Germany Calls for Overhaul of U.S.-Europe Alliance. Bertrand, Benoit; Norman, Laurence. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 14 Feb 2026: A6.
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