President Trump responded Tuesday to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s assertion that the European Union would have to “take our destiny into our own hands” and not rely on the U.S. or the U.K.
“We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change,” Mr. Trump tweeted.
Ms. Merkel made her comments one day after meeting with Mr. Trump and other world leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Sicily.
“The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days,” she said at a campaign event Sunday. Ms. Merkel faces an election in September where she is seeking her fourth term. “And so all I can say is that we Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands.”
At the summit, Mr. Trump criticized her on NATO and the trade deficit, and Ms. Merkel dinged him for not committing to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, like the other world leaders did.
Mr. Trump tweeted on Saturday: “I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!”
• Maria Stainer can be reached at mstainer@washingtontimes.com.
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