Is Germany about to cut ties with Trump's America?
The News Agents
Global
4.1 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 24 February 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It didn't take long for Germany's new Chancellor in waiting, Friedrich Merz, to make his presence felt across the Atlantic. Before the final ballots had even been counted in the German elections, Merz took to a television debate to warn that "after Donald Trump's remarks last week...it is clear that this government does not care much about the fate of Europe". He called for the EU to work together at pace to "really achieve independence from the USA", even questioning whether NATO in its current form would continue to exist come the summer. Remarkable words from a politician until now known as a staunch atlanticist - but is he just reflecting the new political era Europe finds itself in? And what does that mean for Keir Starmer and the British government?
Later, Elon Musk instructs millions of federal workers to compile a list of their achievements in the past week or risk the sack, and a podcaster becomes deputy chief of the FBI. What on earth is going on in America's civil service - and is it just becoming an enforcement arm for Donald Trump?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Newsagents podcast is brought to you by HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 0:08.1 | This is a global player original podcast. We must bring our collective strength to the peace effort. |
| 0:15.8 | President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity. |
| 0:23.9 | Now we must get the fundamentals right. |
| 0:26.2 | The Eskimos of Nunavik famously have 50 words for snow. |
| 0:29.6 | The Brits have around 188 words for rain. |
| 0:32.6 | And right now, we are learning the myriad ways that our leaders have of telling Donald Trump he's wrong without |
| 0:40.2 | saying ever he's wrong he's just changing the global conversation and so Kirstama goes to |
| 0:47.5 | Washington later this week to sit down with Donald Trump and Britain wants the special relationship |
| 0:53.2 | to endure. |
| 0:56.8 | But we've just had the elections in Germany, |
| 1:01.5 | where the new German Chancellor we expect to take over is saying he wants independence from the US. |
| 1:06.1 | So, Europe with America or without? |
| 1:10.0 | Welcome to the newsagents. |
| 1:14.1 | The Newsagents. |
| 1:15.6 | It's John. |
| 1:16.4 | It's Emily. |
| 1:17.0 | It's Lewis. |
| 1:17.6 | And we are in Manchester ahead of our live show this evening. |
| 1:21.7 | And we played that clip of Kirstama at the very top of the podcast. |
| 1:25.9 | I mean, it's worth looking at as well |
| 1:28.2 | because he's gripping the sheets of paper |
... |
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