Trump on Tuesday called Germany's trade and military spending policies "very bad" for the U.S. as tensions between him and Merkel increased, Xinhua news agency reported.
President Donald Trump blasted Germany anew over trade and defence, ratcheting up a dispute with Chancellor Angela Merkel that risks getting personal and undermining a trans-Atlantic bond that is the bedrock of US-European relations. He labeled both things "very bad for U.S".
The sharp words from Gabriel came after Trump concluded his first official tour overseas which took him to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brussels and then Italy for a G7 summit, the German website Local.de reported.
As reported by Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's global broadcaster, his comments echo several previous remarks of the same kind he has made, notably during recent meetings with European leaders in Brussels, where he called the Germans "bad, very bad" because of the trade deficit they had allegedly inflicted on the US.
Foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel of the SPD told the Rheinische Post (link in German) that "whoever does not confront these USA policies makes themselves complicit".
Martin Schulz, an outspoken Social Democrat and center-left chancellor candidate, said later on Tuesday that Trump was "the destroyer of all Western values".
"India wants the world not just to be interconnected but also that it should be sensibly run", Merkel said, endorsing a trade deal in the works between India and the European Union.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has slammed President Donald Trump for his disparaging remarks about Germany, saying that publicly attacking Chancellor Angela Merkel was "unacceptable".
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"The times in which we could rely fully on others - they are somewhat over", she said. President Trump tweeted Saturday morning. "I have experienced this in the last few days", Merkel said.
Spicer described Trump's personal relationship with Merkel as excellent.
"This means working in friendship with the U.S., the United Kingdom and neighborly relations with Russian Federation and other partners'".
She said the existing Western alliance had been threatened by the current U.S. presidency and Brexit, meaning Germany could no longer fully count on its biggest allies. His latest rant is likely to only fan the flames of anti-Trump feeling in Germany and its neighbors in the EU.
Merkel's speech in Munich could be seen as a reminder to Trump that the decision will have real implications for his relationship with Berlin and other partners, officials said.
But Germany also bought $80.4 billion worth of American goods and services previous year, more than was purchased by any other European country other than the United Kingdom.
Separately, France's Defence Minister Sylvie Goulard said Mr Trump's broadside at North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies could boost efforts towards a common European defence policy.
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