German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has taken a confrontational course with CDU chief Friedrich Merz after the lost trust vote in the Bundestag. When asked about an anecdote Merz had shared before the trust vote in the Bundestag, Scholz said on Monday evening in the ZDF’s “Heute-Journal”: “Fritze Merz likes to tell tall tales.”
Merz had told a story in the Bundestag that Scholz, during a meeting of the European Council, had only sat there and not said a word, and when asked by another colleague, had responded with “No, you didn’t say anything either.”
The Chancellor further told the ZDF: “That won’t be the only thing he’ll do like that. He’s shown it often and will show it in the election campaign too. The citizens will make up their own minds about it.”
The CDU subsequently responded with harsh criticism: “While we understand Scholz’s frustration on the day of his defeat: It’s unacceptable to mock the name of the competitor in a belittling way” wrote former CDU candidate Armin Laschet on “X” (formerly Twitter). “The opposition leader is not the ‘Fritze’ for the Chancellor. That destroys any respect among democrats” Laschet said.
Scholz also remained tight-lipped about potential coalition partners after the Bundestag election. Asked about a cooperation with the BSW, he said, however, that the “basic consensus” on the transatlantic partnership, the EU, and cooperation with NATO must be maintained. “Who looks towards Russia can’t be part of a government.