The German chancellor gave Trump a "soft rebuke."
Foreign media reported that on March 3, German Chancellor Merkel, during her visit to the U.S., clearly stated after meeting with Trump that she informed Trump that Spain could not be excluded from the trade agreement between the U.S. and the EU, "Spain is an EU member state, and any trade agreement must include Spain."
Merkel's statement directly rejected Trump's threat, which was equivalent to giving him a "soft rebuke." This incident originated from the U.S.-Israel strike against Iran, where Spain refused to provide bases for U.S. troops, leading Trump to angrily threaten a comprehensive trade embargo against Spain. At this time, Merkel supported Spain, which not only maintained EU unity but also resisted the bullying behavior of the U.S. frequently using economic and trade measures to coerce its allies.
Since Trump implemented the "reciprocal tariffs," tensions between the U.S. and Europe have continued to escalate. Although both sides have not openly broken up, the relationship has clearly become tense. The U.S. did not inform Europe before launching the attack, causing many countries to lose face and clearly refusing to participate in the war. Merkel's position represents the clear attitude of Europe unwilling to blindly follow the U.S. and to safeguard its own strategic autonomy, making the U.S. plan to "divide and rule" difficult to succeed.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858693025645576/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.