Merkel criticizes Trump attacks on congresswomen

German leader says she feels 'solidarity' with targets of US president's comments.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel | Omer Messinger/Getty Images

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned attacks by U.S. President Donald Trump on four American congresswomen of color.

“I firmly distance myself from them,” Merkel said Friday of Trump’s comments. The German leader said she feels “solidarity with the women who have been targeted” after Trump said that the lawmakers should “go back” to where they came from.

Merkel’s remarks, at the end of a wide-ranging 90-minute press conference in Berlin, were a rare exception to the veteran chancellor’s practice of not commenting on domestic political issues in other countries.

Trump’s attacks began with a series of tweets last Sunday, in which he said that four Democratic congresswoman, who are all American citizens, spoke badly of the U.S. and encouraged them to leave the country. Trump, who has denied that his comments were racist, has since intensified his attacks, against a growing backlash.

World leaders including Canada’s Justin Trudeau, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and the United Kingdom’s Theresa May have distanced themselves from the inflammatory rhetoric. Asked Friday whether she would join their ranks, Merkel repeatedly said “yes.”

“The strength of the United States, from my point of view, is precisely that it’s a country where people from all different kinds of nationalities have contributed to the strength of the American people,” she said. Trump’s comments “are something that run counter to the strength of the United States,” she added.

The relationship between Germany and the U.S. — traditionally close allies — has soured since Trump took office in January 2017. Trump has repeatedly attacked Berlin and Merkel personally over issues ranging from military spending to what he considers to be an unfair trade imbalance between the two countries.

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