Secretary of State John Kerry John Forbes KerryThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Divided country, divided church TV ads favored Biden 2-1 in past month MORE criticized President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE in a Monday interview on CNN, saying it was “inappropriate" for Trump to "be stepping in to the politics of other countries in a quite direct manner."

On Sunday, Trump called German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policy “catastrophic” in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper.

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Kerry responded to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, calling Merkel "one of the strongest leaders in Europe" and "most important players with respect to where we are heading."

He also noted that “as of Friday, [Trump is] responsible for that relationship," with Germany.

Merkel responded to Trump's remarks on Monday, telling reporters, “We have known what his position is for some time, and my position is also known," according to CNN.