US President Joe Biden has the support of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, not Donald Trump. Photo: JONATHAN ERNST/AFP via Getty Images
Joe Biden is “better” than Donald Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday, before adding that he hopes the current US president will be re-elected for a second time.
The center-left leader blamed Trump for the differences and said it would be bad for Germany and the US if the Republican returned to the White House.
Recent polls show Joe Biden has an edge over would-be Republican challengers Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis as the November 2024 vote approaches.
“I think the current president is better, so I want to be re-elected,” Scholz said, answering questions from elementary school students near Berlin.
Biden's years of experience in public service means he knows exactly “what needs to be done to prevent the world from starting a war,” the chancellor said.
Referring to Trump, he added: “If all people are only against each other, then there cannot be a good future, and that is why the former president is certainly in favor of a big split in the country.”
>Extraordinarily straightforward
Mr. Scholz has been unusually blunt in his presentation of his preferences ahead of the 2024 presidential election, even though he was expected to favor the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate.
He also warned that Russia could not win the war in Ukraine.
European governments are concerned about the implications of Trump's victory for US support for Ukraine and European security in general.
Relations with European allies have become very tense during the Trump presidency, especially after Trump threatened to withdraw from NATO unless other members increase their defense spending.
Mr. Trump also clashed with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel while Mr. Scholz was finance minister in her coalition government.
Fear of Trump< p>Since he became Chancellor, Scholz has promised to dramatically increase defense spending and has supported EU military buildup initiatives that are partly motivated by fear of Trump's unpredictable return to power.
Earlier this month, Mr Biden revealed he told European leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron and Mr Scholz, at a G7 meeting in the UK that “America is back” after a Trump presidency.
Mr. Biden said Mr. Scholz asked him what America would think if British voters broke down the doors of the House of Commons to cancel the election.
He said the world was “stunned” after Trump supporters stormed the capital on January 6, 2021.
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