In his book, "A Promised Land," Obama calls Angela Merkel "reliable, honest, and intellectually precise." He said the chancellor was understandably skeptical of him at first, but the two grew to trust one another.
Image: Reuters/H. Hanschke
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In a memoir released on Tuesday, former US President Barack Obama offered a slew of praise for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In his book, "A Promised Land," Obama wrote that Merkel initially viewed him with skepticism — positing that this may have been because of his strong speeches and "exaggerated rhetoric."
He did not, however, resent that skepticism. "For a German head of government, an aversion to possible demagogy was probably a healthy attitude," he said.
Over the years, he found Merkel to be increasingly agreeable, he said, calling her "reliable, honest, intellectually precise and friendly in a natural way."
However, he criticized Germany's policy on Greece during the country's debt difficulties after the financial crash, when Merkel and then-Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) had held fast to austerity and reducing public borrowing as the answer to almost all economic difficulties.
"I noticed that they [Merkel and French former President Nicolas Sarkozy] rarely mentioned that German and French banks were some of Greece's biggest lenders, or that much of Greeks' accumulated debt had been racked up buying German and French exports — facts that might have made clear to voters why saving the Greeks from default amounted to saving their own banks and industries," Obama wrote.
Obama also criticized former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who he felt was "no real counterweight" to Merkel.
Unlike Merkel, Obama wrote, Sarkozy appeared too disorganized to construct a serious plan for economic reform, adding that Sarkozy's approach lacked "ideological consistency."
From Bush to Biden: How Angela Merkel interacts with US presidents
Since Angela Merkel became German chancellor almost 16 years ago, she has seen three US presidents come and go. Following the tense Trump years, we see more harmonious scenes with Joe Biden.
Image: Guido Bergmann/Bundesregierung/REUTERS
Who will blink first?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump were at odds on Iran, trade, NATO and many other issues. But their differences seemed to run deeper — and even be personal: Trump is said to have called Merkel "stupid." During talks at a NATO summit in late 2019, the pair seemed to be staring each other down.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Who's the boss now?
The picture raised eyebrows around the world: Merkel and Trump at the G7 summit in Canada in June 2018. Is Merkel in control here, standing above Trump, as the true leader of the free world? Or is he the boss — the only one sitting? The image was released by the German government, captioned as a "spontaneous meeting between two working sessions."
Image: Reuters/Bundesregierung/J. Denzel
The handshake that wasn't
President Trump appeared standoffish when he hosted Chancellor Merkel at the White House in March 2017. While in the Oval Office, the US president refused to extend a hand to the chancellor in front of media, a stiff image that defined their first encounter.
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
Look me in the eye
Merkel's bond with Barack Obama stood in sharp contrast to her relationship with Trump. The chancellor and Obama seemed to have become friends over the course of his two terms as US president. This picture was taken in November 2016, when Obama came to Berlin for a farewell visit — just a few days after Donald Trump was elected as his successor.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
All smiles
Merkel received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award, at the White House in June 2011. Obama praised her commitment to European unity. Observers also saw the award as proof of good German-American relations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A time to make friends
At the G7 summit in the Bavarian Alps in 2015, Merkel and Obama got along well. The chancellor was able to count on US support on many topics, such as in the fight against climate change. This ended abruptly when Trump became president in 2016.
Image: Reuters/M. Kappeler
Do you feel the same?
Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, made enthusiastic remarks about Merkel's love of freedom right after their first meeting. At the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in July 2006, he gave her an impromptu neck massage that took the chancellor by surprise. Still, it didn't seem to have put a strain on their relationship.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/A. Nemenov
Pork chop politics
In July 2006, Bush enjoyed putting a piece of grilled wild boar on Merkel's plate. Merkel had welcomed him to her constituency on the coast of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The barbecue was the highlight of the visit to Merkel's political home base.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/BPA/G. Bergmann
This land is my land
In 2007 Merkel visited Bush at his ranch in Texas. Bush personally chauffeured Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer, in his American-made pickup truck. Merkel and Bush agreed to work together to find a diplomatic solution to the rising tensions over Iran's nuclear program.
Image: Matthew Cavanaugh/dpa/picture-alliance
Trans-Atlantic love
At the funeral service for former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in July 2017, former President Bill Clinton delivered a funny and emotional eulogy. "I loved him," he said. When he sat down again, he reached for Merkel's hand.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Murat
That's a good one!
November 2009: Merkel has just delivered a speech before the US Congress in Washington, DC. While the applause went on, then-Vice President Joe Biden entertained the chancellor, making her laugh. Hopes are high for the German-American friendship now Biden has been elected president.
Image: Reynolds/dpa/picture alliance
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'Strategic acumen and unwavering patience'
He additionally outlines Merkel's career in brief for readers, saying that while growing up in the former East Germany, Merkel initially "kept her head down." Over the course of her rise to the top of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, however, Obama writes that Merkel demonstrated what went on to shape her career as a whole: "organizational skills," "strategic acumen" and "unwavering patience."
Prior to the book's release, Obama further praised Merkel in an interview with German broadcast group RTL. "I think very much of Angela Merkel. She has been an outstanding political leader, not only for Germany, but for Europe and the world," he said in the interview, conducted in Washington on Friday.
Obama also touched on President-elect Joe Biden's victory when talking to RTL: "This election has at least stopped the bleeding for now," he said, referring to the Trump presidency.
The first volume of Obama's memoir is 1,024 pages long, and is published in 25 languages.
