Merkel Recalls What It Was Like Dealing With Trump

Just published: Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021 by former German chancellor Angela Merkel.

New York Times: “Long-anticipated in Germany, the book… promises the inside story of the taciturn woman many saw as the defender of a global liberal order. When the world was shocked by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the first election of Mr. Trump and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Ms. Merkel exuded a kind of patient, cerebral calm that was widely seen as the bastion of an old, more predictable world order.”

“Since she stepped down in 2021, things have changed drastically. Russia invaded Ukraine, prompting Germany to wean itself off cheap Russian gas. Absorbing both the lack of cheap energy and a reduction of the Chinese export market, the German economy has stagnated. The country’s bridges, roads and railways, long neglected, are falling apart. And Ms. Merkel’s welcoming migration policy has led to a surge in the far right.”

“All of which has led to widespread unhappiness and a rethinking of Ms. Merkel’s legacy.”