this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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Summary

In her memoir Freedom, Angela Merkel reflects on her misjudgment of Donald Trump, initially treating him as “completely normal” before realizing his emotional nature and authoritarian inclinations.

She recounts his attempts to humiliate her, his zero-sum worldview, and fascination with autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin.

Merkel also critiques Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and his hostility toward Germany.

Addressing her legacy, she discusses tensions with Putin over NATO and acknowledges criticism of her reliance on Russian gas and liberal refugee policies.

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[–] [email protected] 132 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Lots of critical comments here. Can we just please applaud a politician who -I know, in huge retrospect- admits to her being wrong about something.

Would I rather have politicians who make no mistakes at all? Yes. I just dispise the amount of politicians who never ever own up to their mistakes and keep on vaguely blaming everyone but themselves. It was Trump that exarbated that method (though it had been in use much longer, he just went in more blatantly.)

Lets please celebrate boring, conscientious politicians that own up to their mistakes and instead hate on the ones that get off scott free by lying their asses off. That'd be great

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

She deserves the criticism, in 16 years she managed to pause time in Germany which is impressive but also created this illusion that that country can forever remain stuck in the 80s and everything will be fine by just doing things the way they have always been done.

That and maintaining the dependence on dictatorships for their energy infrastructure. And the absolutely vindictive policies against Greece which fucked the country badly.

She deserves respect for opening the borders to refugees, I applaud her for that and I wish there would have been more courageous politicians like her, but that doesn’t mean as a politician she was good for Europe in general.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yup that's fair. I don't mean to say she's above criticism. My point was that a politician able of introspection and able to even accept the concept of their own failure is delightful.

But that's mainly criticism of all politicians in general than praise of her.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

On that I couldn’t agree more with you. Politics have always been sad but imo nowadays our politicians aren’t only by and large bad people (nothing new here), but they’re also terribly incompetent with no visions, no values, but all the confidence in the world on the other hand…

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

This, we need to be more willing to forgive people when they say "I fucked up."

[–] Aceticon 10 points 1 month ago

Let's be fair: "I was wrong about the bad nature of somebody else" is pretty much the lowest, mildest, weakest possible form of self-criticism there is, to the point that it's quite common for posh manipulator types to use "I was wrong about your ," format of discourse to criticize others.

[–] [email protected] 87 points 1 month ago (5 children)

I guess she missed the last 30 years of Trumps antics.

[–] MacGuffin94 124 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I mean, why would she care? He's was a US business man and she was a German politician. They would have little to no overlap and even when he became president she had more to do than spend the days of would take going over his list of bullshittery. It's easy to see immediately that he is a terrible person, realizing that he's quite literally toxic takes actually investing time into.

[–] Maalus 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's why you have advisors, secretaries and other people who are there to help you learn about someone without you having to spend days on it. Especially when said someone is a president of an entire country, and a rather important one.

[–] MacGuffin94 21 points 1 month ago

Agreed, and the passing from the article implies that she was prepped and had an idea that he was shitty then realized how terrible a person he is once he met her. He's in the news so much over the last 8-9 years but before 2015/2016 most people knew fairly little about him unless you read his biography which his biographer has come out and said it's very sanitized.

[–] MimicJar 63 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Not really, she's just being political.

If you say "I always knew he was a raging narcissist." then you clearly had a bias against him, so whatever you say next is just a further expansion of that bias.

If you say "I thought he was normal, but I learned more." then you went in this with an open mind and people are more likely to listen to what you learned.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago

ITT: only one person who understands why Merkel would say that she thought Trump was "completely normal".

[–] edgemaster72 3 points 1 month ago

Fuck that, be biased against authoritarian bigots

[–] spankmonkey -1 points 1 month ago

Basically shitty political dialogue where being honest is the worst fucking thing anyone can do even though everyone knows it is bullshit. Humanity is so fucking stupid.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm from a country that borders Germany and I don't think I had any good idea who Donald Trump was before 2015. I may have heard the name at some point, but no more than that.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He was the laughing stock of NY (where he was from). A know racist too.

[–] captainlezbian 8 points 1 month ago

Ok but as an American he was just some rich guy on tv outside New York. It makes sense Europeans may not know him or might assume it was an act

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Yeah, I don't understand how people can't see exactly the type of guy he is within seconds of laying eyes on him. He's not exactly an enigma, it's all right there in front of you.

[–] capt_wolf 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Exactly, anyone just now saying "I didn't know" or "I thought he was normal" is either stupid or trying to cover their ass.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

It's not 'now', it's at the time that he was first elected.

[–] raspberriesareyummy 65 points 1 month ago

As a German, I despise everything about her party, and I never voted for her - also, I oppose her economical policies (which are just the ones of her party).

But I can absolutely respect her for

  • opening the borders to take in Syrian refugees when no one else would have them - against(!) the racist shitheads that form most of her party
  • being a rational, calming voice in the center of Europe, and trying to mediate between the US and Russia, instead of making us depend on one of them

Imagine the fat orange turd's first presidency had already transitioned into a totalitarian regime, and the US had started a war of aggression against Mexico to curb the drug cartels - but committing massive war crimes there. That'd be a really shitty time to be 100% dependent on US & Saudi oil & gas, as many conservative voices in Germany wanted us to be.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

uh, that one's on you, merkel

[–] semperverus 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

All the PhDs and yet you are trapped in norms & customs of the daily job.

[–] PugJesus 8 points 1 month ago

Well that was pretty fucking stupid.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Can we please have her back instead of Merz?

(Never voted for her or her party, never would. But shit is about to hit the fan here way worse than people imagine.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Merz is going to form a coalition with the SPD and/or the Greens. We're going to get another 16 years of stagnation, not the fall of the republic.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

In 25. In 29 he'll shamelessly go with the Nazis, mark my words. He's already talking like they did 5 years ago.

I also wouldn't put it past him to copy Voigt, call a vote on certain things and act all surprised when the AfD helps him win against his "partner".

[–] eran_morad 3 points 1 month ago