During a regional town hall on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was asked what impact president-elect Donald Trump will have over the issue of climate change — an issue Trump once called a hoax made up by the Chinese — to which she reassured that she is ready and prepared to tackle the differences without giving in.
“Of course I’ll say that I believe that climate change is certainly caused by humans –- and we’ll want to see if the position there develops,” Merkel said in response. “One always has to try to find compromise through mutual respect and a clear position. That’s politics — always to find compromise.”
“That’s politics — always to find compromise”
Merkel commented on her relationship with President Barack Obama over his eight years in the White House, stating that the issue of working together on climate change negotiations were much easier than with his predecessors, but with the upcoming change in leadership, she stated that it is a good thing to “meet people all over the world who don’t always share my opinion”.
Throughout his campaign, Trump had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Merkel as he attacked Hillary Clinton by referring to her as “America’s Angela Merkel” while at the same time praising the German leader as someone he admired.
Since winning the election, Trump spoke with Merkel by phone, where the two were able to end the conversation with the understanding that they would try to cooperate despite some major differences in policy.
