Germany's parliamentary assembly has elected
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, as the country's president. The
position of president in Germany is largely ceremonial, because the chancellor
is the official head of government and has a higher profile on the world stage.
Steinmeier previously served as vice chancellor and foreign minister under
current Chancellor Angela Merkel. He was elected by the vast majority of the
assembly, receiving 931 out of 1,253 votes.
Steinmeier, 61, has been a vocal critic of US
President Donald Trump. He described Trump in August as a "hate
preacher," likening him to right-wing populists in Europe who "make
politics with fear," German news agency DPA reported.
Steinmeier also expressed concerns about Trump's
comments that NATO, the political and military alliance between North America
and Europe, is obsolete.
Work
Cited
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/12/europe/germany-president-frank-walter-steinmeier/
WOW!!!! So months before the election the German government was already being concerned about how Trump might be visualized. The concerns about NATO has been one of those things I have wondered would go by the wayside. I have for years considered the US to be the UN police force. We seem to need to go into places with the express idea of "fixing" things.
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday, VP Pence said there is strong support for NATO, which he stated on behalf of Trump. Now that does not mean Trump actually supports NATO now, but it will be interesting to see how things play out with the NATO and Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/contrary-trump-pence-pledges-strong-support-nato-article-1.2976075
- Kevin Rindfleisch