Former US President Barack Obama and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel took part in a book discussion at The Anthem on December 02, 2024 in Washington, DC. – AFP
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former US President Barack Obama, who were close political allies during their respective tenures, came together in Washington on Monday for an event to launch her memoir in the United States. Merkel developed a strong bond with Obama throughout his eight years in the White House. Obama's final foreign trip as president in 2016 featured a visit to Berlin, where he appeared alongside Merkel, who was then preparing for the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
During Monday's event, Merkel and Obama engaged in a discussion about German unification, the 2008 global financial crisis, climate change, and immigration. Their conversation, which was met with intermittent applause and laughter, was held in front of a sold-out crowd of approximately 3,000 at The Anthem, an event venue in Washington. The two leaders exhibited a comfortable rapport. Obama posed questions in English, to which Merkel responded in German. He acknowledged that her English was superb but noted that as a trained scientist, she preferred to speak in her native language for precision.
Merkel playfully retorted that Obama, a lawyer, was also very precise. They reminisced about Obama's 2008 visit to Berlin as a presidential candidate, when she initially opposed his team's request to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. Obama assured the audience that he harbored no ill feelings about the decision.
The two leaders did not address Trump, who had recently defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the election. However, Merkel expressed her hope that the U.S. would eventually elect a woman president. In her book, titled 'Freedom: Memories 1954-2021,' written prior to the November 5 election, she had expressed optimism about Harris's prospects.
Merkel's legacy has been subject to scrutiny since her departure from office after 16 years. Meanwhile, Obama, despite his enduring popularity among Democrats, was unable to secure a victory for either Harris or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016.
Obama highlighted Germany's reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall as a lesson for a United States that is increasingly divided. He suggested that if Germany could overcome decades of division and unite to prosper, then the 'United States of America' should be capable of achieving the same.
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