German chancellor hopes US will bring down tariffs, says ‘best thing for mutual wealth’ is open markets

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said President Donald Trump’s tariffs are threatening his economy, adding that he believes free trade and open markets are “the best thing for mutual wealth” during a visit to the United States on Thursday.

Merz, who touched on a lot of hot topics during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report,” was asked for his thoughts on Elon Musk’s X post, which stated that Trump’s tariffs will cause a recession in the second part of the year. The former DOGE leader’s post came as he was engaging in a very public feud with the president.

Though the foreign leader said he didn’t want to comment on the “domestic debate,” he did say that the tariffs are “really threatening [his] economy,” adding that Germany is “looking for ways to bring them down.”

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“Our conviction is that free trade, open markets is the best thing for mutual wealth of our countries and of our continent,” Merz said, in part. 

“This is an issue which has to be negotiated between the American government and the European Commission. We are part of Europe, so we are in the discussion, but I have my view on that.”

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Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts, which is in addition to the temporary 10% tariff – which is down from 20% – on all goods.

Merz said “we should bring them down” when briefly referencing his overall opinion of the tariffs.

Trump has stated that his ultimate goal is an open market, but only when America is being treated fairly by trade partners.

As part of the European Union, Germany imposes a 10% tariff on most American car imports.