Donald Trump was 'obsessed' with 'too many German cars' as Angela Merkel makes stark tariff admission

In a new interview, Merkel referenced an infamous moment when Trump reportedly threw two Starburst sweets on a table, adding: "Here, Angela, don't say I never give you anything."

The former Chancellor said that the situation was overblown, as she prepares to launch her upcoming memoir "Freedom", which will be released on November 26.

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She added: "Donald Trump was obsessed with the idea that there were, in his opinion, too many German cars in New York.

"He always said that if he were president, he would impose such high tariffs that they would disappear from the streets of Manhattan."

The 70-year-old said that Trump was not obsessed with her and that Merkel "embodied Germany".

In various interviews, Merkel has defended her leadership style in relation to Russia and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as well as Germany's role in accepting more than one million asylum seekers in the direct aftermath of the Syrian Civil War in 2015.

Trump, who is set to be inaugurated as the President once again on January 20, 2025, has frequently hinted at imposing massive tariffs on foreign trade partners in a bid to shore up American interests.

The United States Government has already moved forward with huge tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, hiking the rate to 100 per cent under the Biden-Harris Administration.

It stated that China's exports of electric vehicles were "jeopardizing productive investments elsewhere", adding that a 100 per cent tariff would protect from "unfair trade practices".

Trump has hinted that he would introduce a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on all goods imports, leading to share prices of major European manufacturers to fall following the US election.

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According to the Guardian, Trump warned that he would target the European Union in his mission to crack down on countries who "don't take our cars, don't take anything".

He compared the EU to a "mini-China", noting a $312billion (£248billion) deficit with the EU, adding that "the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff".

There have been calls from some, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, for the UK to introduce tariffs on Chinese vehicles, adding that they would likely become "unavoidable".

A Government spokesperson told GB News: "We are always vigilant to international developments and are very clear that any decision over the implementation of tariffs has to be the right one for our domestic automotive industry."

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In 2021, Angela Merkel told automotive manufacturers that the focus should not solely be on electric vehicles in a bid to decarbonise transport.

She noted that brands should explore alternatives like hydrogen and ensure motoring was a "central part of the solution" to climate change.