In 1987 President Reagan uttered the famous quote "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!", and tear down the wall he did. A man who admires President Reagan, President-Elect Trump rose to popularity riding a wave of populism and nationalist, anti-immigrant sentiment. Unlike Mr. Reagan, Mr. Trump doesn't seek to tear down walls, but rather to build them.

On Wednesday, Europe woke up to an election result few had expected or favored. They also woke up to the 27th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. November 9th, 2016, will also go down in history as the moment that Germany woke up as the clear leader of the free world, as the true defenders of liberty and freedom for all of humankind. Poetic and historic.

This sentiment began in late 2014 and continued to build throughout 2015 and 2016... Merkel was named by Time as Person of the Year in 2015 with the distinction of being "Chancellor of the Free World", surely the editors were hinting at something greater, but likely didn't want to feel the backlash of writing Leader instead of Chancellor. Fast forward 12 months, there is no argument to be made but to recognize her and Germany as the leader's of the free world.

2/20/2015 - Angela Merkel: The real leader of the free world

3/1/2015 - Articles: Will the real leader of the free world please stand up?

9/12/2015 - Germany, leader of the free world

2/23/2015 - builds on the Macleans article, Europe And Canada No Longer See America As Leader Of The Free World -- Now It’s Germany - Europe and Canada no longer see the US as the leader of the free world, they instead recognize Angela Merkel as the rightful claimant to that title.

There are many articles and my mind is racing, but I will leave this with two more articles and then respond to the impending outrage.

10/01/2016 - Trump Is Unfit as Leader of the Free World

11/09/2016 - Angela Merkel has given the perfect response to Donald Trump's unprecedented victory (on Facebook this article was posted with the headline Is Merkel now the Leader of the Free World? a question to which the answer is a resounding yes).

Russia's sphere of influence grows, as does China's. Britain has chosen to withdraw and tip its hat, unwinding what was once the largest empire on the planet. Turkey will shortly see a President transform into an absolute dictator with ambitions to restore the glory of the Ottoman empire.

France will likely elect Marine Le Pen in their upcoming election, and with her anti-EU sentiment, leaving behind Germany as the last beacon of hope for those that believe in absolute liberty and freedom for all of humankind.

With a victory in the '17 elections Merkel will be given a mandate to not only lead Germany, but to lead Europe, and the free world.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated the President-elect and offered “close cooperation”, but tacitly criticised Mr Trump in her speech. She told reporters in Berlin his election campaign featured “confrontations that were difficult to bear”. Ms Merkel stressed Germany's close historical connection with the US but added: “Germany and America are connected by values: democracy, freedom, respect for the law and for the dignity of human beings, independently of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views. “On the basis of these values, I am offering the future President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, close cooperation.”

Merkel, not Trump, speaks from the moral high-ground. They need us, and we need them, but the values for what we once fought viciously against Germany to defend, they are now defending, and we are the aggressor whom they are fighting. The sword of liberty has exchanged hands, and the leader who now wields it is Chancellor Merkel, god-willing she will be re-elected with a mandate to continue to lead in the coming German '17 elections, and continue to fight for what we once stood for.