Germany needs no tips from Donald Trump, says Merz's deputy

German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil on Friday has defended Chancellor Friedrich Merz against criticism from the United States, pushing back at President Donald Trump.

Klingbeil's remarks came after Trump hit back at Merz, government policy — and Germany — over the chancellor's assertion that Tehran had "humiliated" Washington.

What did the German vice chancellor say?

Klingbeil, who is also Germany's finance minister, said his country does not need tips from Trump amid the Iran war. He urged the US president to instead focus on securing peace talks.

"We really don't need any advice from Donald Trump right now. He should see the mess he's made. He should make sure that serious peace talks are now being held in Iran," Klingbeil said at a Labor Day event in Bergkamen in the Ruhr region.

Conservative Merz and center-left Social Democrat Klingbeil are not always on the same page politically. However, the vice chancellor clearly backed his coalition colleague against Trump's social media broadsides.

"I'm saying this especially in light of the last few days, when he's been criticizing the German government and the chancellor," Klingbeil emphasized.

He said Trump now carried responsibility for ending the war and should ensure the economic fallout does not burden workers, consumers, and businesses.

Did Merz push Trump too far on Iran?

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Trump underestimated timescale, says Klingbeil

The vice chancellor also questioned Trump's approach, saying the US president appeared to believe the conflict would be resolved quickly.

"I think he really thought it would be a matter of two or three days and then everything would be fine," he said.

Klingbeil added it was crucial for Europe to be economically strong enough "that we don't have to let ourselves be blackmailed by anyone," he said. "I don't want us to be dependent on what mood Donald Trump is in today or tomorrow."

What did Trump and Merz say about each other?

Klingbeil's remarks came after Merz accused the US of entering the conflict without a clear strategy and warned that Iran was humiliating Washington in negotiations.

Trump on Tuesday, saying Merz had "no idea what he's talking about," should spend "less time on interfering" with US efforts in Iran. He urged Merz to focus more on ending the Russia-Ukraine war and "fixing his broken country," especially on immigration and energy.

While Friedrich Merz insisted his relationship with Donald Trump remains strong, tensions have escalated, with Trump threatening to reduce US troop levels in Germany.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko