The man poised to become Germany's next chancellor accused President Trump of being indifferent to Europe's plight and blasted Washington's interference in his nation's general election yesterday.

Friedrich Mertz has begun work to forge a governing coalition, having ruled out working alongside a far-right party supported by the Trump administration.

From Berlin, special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

Germans went to work this morning in a country that was radically different from the one

they inhabited just 24 hours ago. Not only had Germany taken a giant stride to the right,

but it had also elected a chancellor,

who's a straight talker, and isn't shy about telling America what he really thinks.

For me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible,

so that step by step we can really achieve

independence from the USA. I never thought I would have to say something like that on a TV

program, but after Donald Trump's latest comments in the last week, it's clear the Americans,

or at least this group of Americans, this government, cares very little about the fate of Europe.

And Merz laid into the Trump administration for Elon Musk's strident support for the anti-immigrant

alternative for Germany party.

I have no illusions about what is happening in America. Just look at recent events, including

Elon Musk's interventions in the German

election campaign. This is unprecedented. The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic

and brazen than those we have seen from Moscow. We are under massive pressure from both sides,

and my absolute priority now is to establish unity in Europe.

...a absolute priority.

Germany's new chancellor is a man in a hurry.

He wants to establish a stable coalition as quickly as possible.

...