Declassified US report says Merkel opposed Trump’s re-election in 2020

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not want Donald Trump to win re-election in 2020, according to a declassified report by the U.S. National Intelligence Council published by the White House.

The report said Merkel almost certainly preferred that Trump not be re-elected because of personal tensions between the two leaders and her view that the policies of his administration had complicated the geopolitical position of Germany, the European Union and NATO, foreign media reports.

It also said Merkel had criticised the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and described the 2020 U.S. presidential election as a potential risk factor for the European Union during a private video conference with European leaders.

Trump, who lost the 2020 election, has repeatedly alleged systematic voting irregularities, including problems related to mail-in ballots and vote-counting machines.

By Sabina Mammadli