Memoir of former German chancellor recalls US president’s soft spot for tyrants and apparent fascination with Putin

Summary

In her memoir Freedom, Angela Merkel reflects on her misjudgment of Donald Trump, initially treating him as “completely normal” before realizing his emotional nature and authoritarian inclinations.

She recounts his attempts to humiliate her, his zero-sum worldview, and fascination with autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin.

Merkel also critiques Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and his hostility toward Germany.

Addressing her legacy, she discusses tensions with Putin over NATO and acknowledges criticism of her reliance on Russian gas and liberal refugee policies.

  • MimicJar@lemmy.worldEnglish
    58·
    16 hours ago

    Not really, she’s just being political.

    If you say “I always knew he was a raging narcissist.” then you clearly had a bias against him, so whatever you say next is just a further expansion of that bias.

    If you say “I thought he was normal, but I learned more.” then you went in this with an open mind and people are more likely to listen to what you learned.

    • overload@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      23·
      16 hours ago

      ITT: only one person who understands why Merkel would say that she thought Trump was “completely normal”.

    • snooggums@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      15 hours ago

      Basically shitty political dialogue where being honest is the worst fucking thing anyone can do even though everyone knows it is bullshit. Humanity is so fucking stupid.