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Angela Merkel

Former Chancellor of Germany, Germany

Search every verified Angela Merkel interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Angela Merkel appeared at the WDR Europaforum on May 18, 2026, where she participated in an interview with Markus Preiß and later in a discussion with the hosts of the "0630" podcast. During the event, Merkel commented on the current use of power internationally, stating that "those who have power are currently using it quite harshly," citing extraterritorial sanctions imposed by the United States as an example that began during her tenure. She also addressed the European Union, asserting that if the principle of European law taking precedence over national law no longer applies, then "any agreement in Europe can be put up for renegotiation when a government changes," calling this "a fundamental attack on the European Union." Merkel further discussed the relationship between Europe and the United States, describing the US as "very important partners" but arguing that Europe "must become more independent from them." She added that "we cannot be as dependent on the US as we are now" and noted that "Trump is not there forever and one should not forget one's allies."

Recent appearances

Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“Wenn es um Klimaschutz geht, wird der Eindruck erweckt, man könnte alles ohne Windkraft machen oder alles ohne Solarenergie. Hauptsache, mein Leben wird nicht gestört. Und darüber muss man dann sprechen und seine eigene Vision eben auch deutlich machen.”

“Ich finde, man kann es nicht gegeneinander ausspielen. ... Im Gegenteil, wir nähern uns eher den Kipppunkten, als dass es weniger relevant wird. Und trotz aller anderen Dinge muss der Klimaschutz weiter oben auf der Tagesordnung bleiben.”

“What we have understood in Europe and in particular in Germany is that we need to do more for our defense which we did not do sufficiently in the past.”

“Donald Trump less than others believes in the capability or the quality of a compromise. He wants to be the sole winner in any type of conflict and he does not believe in any win-win situation where both sides benefit from a solution.”

“That was a lie and she admitted to that later on and that has fundamentally changed our relationship because I always had to be very cautious not knowing whether he was telling the truth or not.”

“In einer solchen Situation sage ich dass wir mit den Investitionen die wir uns im Rahmen der Schuldenbremse leisten können für eine bestimmte Zeit nicht werden auskommen das heißt sie war zu ihrer Zeit absolut richtig weil sie uns auch gemäßigt hat immer wieder in Dinge zu investieren die uns für die Zukunft noch nicht sattelfester gemacht haben aber jetzt haben wir eine neue Situation.”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →