It is unusual for tens of thousands of people to gather together to hear a former President — and not of their country — speak. Yet, it was expected that Barack Obama would be awarded a rock-star welcome in Berlin when he appeared with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Expected because he has almost always been popular in Europe. At the end of his term as President, a Pew Research Centre global study found that a median of 77% of the 10 European Union (EU) nations polled, including Germany, had confidence in Mr. Obama to do the right thing in global affairs.
It is not just Europe that loves Mr. Obama. The camaraderie between him and Ms. Merkel too was evident almost immediately after they took stage in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate. Mr. Obama, whom the German Chancellor has referred to in the past as a “friend”, said she was one of his “most favourite world leaders” during his presidency. He congratulated her on her “outstanding work” on the refugee policy, underlined the importance of democracy, unity and inclusivity, and remarked drily that in today’s world “we cannot hide behind a wall”.
This is in contrast to Europe’s, and Ms. Merkel’s, relationship with Donald Trump. In the same study, a measly median of 9% said they have confidence in Mr. Trump to do the right thing in global affairs. He has not been on the same page as Ms. Merkel on many key issues so far. “What Merkel did to Germany is a shame, it’s a sad sad shame,” he had said in March of the country’s immigration policy. At the G7 summit in Brussels, where Ms. Merkel flew in to meet him a couple of hours after meeting Mr. Obama, he vowed to limit U.S. car imports from the country.
A tightrope walk
For Ms. Merkel, walking the tightrope between her principles and maintaining a good relationship with an important ally is a challenge. Germany and the U.S. have historically shared values, but the current U.S. President has his own. At the G7 summit, six nations reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris climate pact; the U.S. refrained. Mr. Trump’s immigration order is the antithesis of Germany’s immigration policy. He is pushing aggressively for an ‘America First’ policy, even as Germany remains in the forefront of keeping the European Union together. In a nutshell, Mr. Trump’s world view is everything that Ms. Merkel’s is not.
At a political level, meeting two world leaders, who embody different values, on the same day could only work in her favour as Germany is set to go to elections this year. After all, Europe is currently a battleground for those representing these very contradictory values, though the march of the far right has slowed down since Mr. Trump’s victory. But at a personal level, it is hard to imagine a similar bonhomie between her and Mr. Trump. As a young man who had come from Baden said during Mr. Obama’s speech in Berlin, “I think it’s pretty cool how they both think similarly. But with Trump… I dunno. We’ll just have to hope for the best, I guess.”
