Merz: I'd Warn My Kids Against Studying, Working in US

Germany's chancellor just gave the US a public thumbs-down as a place for his own kids to live or study. Speaking on Friday to young people at a Catholic gathering in Wuerzburg, Friedrich Merz said he wouldn't at the current time encourage his three children to pursue education or work in the United States, blaming what he called a newly emerged "social climate" and noting that even highly educated Americans now have "great difficulty finding a job," per Reuters. The comments add friction to already strained ties with Washington under President Trump, with struggles over trade, the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and a recent partial US troop pullout from Germany.

Merz, who entered office in 2025 presenting himself as a strong supporter of trans-Atlantic relations, has increasingly criticized the US, including telling schoolchildren last month that Trump has been "humiliated" so far in his war against Iran, reports Politico. Trump has fired back that Merz should focus on repairing his own "broken country," per Reuters. In Wuerzburg, Merz urged Germans to shed a "disaster mode" mindset and argued that few countries offer as many prospects for young people as Germany. "I am a great admirer of America," he added. However, "my admiration isn't growing at the moment."

Despite these tensions, Merz wrote on X on Friday that he and the US president had "a good phone call" as Trump flew back from his China trip. "We agree: Iran must come to the negotiating table now," he noted. "It must open the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons." Merz added that a "peaceful solution" for Russia's invasion of Ukraine was also discussed, and that "the US and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO."