German leader Merz says he ‘would not advise my children to go’ to US

Friedrich Merz , the German chancellor, already embroiled in a row with Donald Trump over the Iran war, has said he would not advise his children to study or work in the US in the current climate. Speaking to a conference of young Catholics in Würzburg, the conservative leader, viewed by many as a transatlanticist, said he no longer saw the US as the land of opportunity. “I am a great admirer of America. At the moment my admiration is not growing,” he said during a podium discussion, citing the quickly changing “social climate” in the deeply polarised country. “I would not advise my children today to go to the US, get educated there or work there, simply because a certain social climate has suddenly developed there.” The 70-year-old father of three continued: “Today, even the best-educated people in America are finding it very hard to get a job.” Speaking about his own country, Merz urged Germans not to fall into a “disaster mode” about the state of the world and encouraged them to feel more optimistic about their homeland’s potential. “I firmly believe that there are few countries in the world that offer such great opportunities, especially for young people, as Germany ,” he said. The remarks about the US immediately drew a furious response from Trump’s camp. …