Earlier this week, Merkel boarded a plane for Washington for her final official For the 1st time in over four years I was actually excited instead of frightened to watch the press conference between Chancellor Merkel and President Biden. In the hours leading up to it, I found myself getting excited and wondering if they would have the same rapport as Merkel had had with President Obama. I must admit that anticipation felt much better than I can even articulate than the fear of dread and concern that encompassed me in the hours which lead up to Chancellor Merkel and Trump’s meetings. When everything was said and done, Chancellor Merkel and President Biden’s interaction was light years ahead of her encounters with Trump, it still appeared that Merkel and Biden lacked the personal chemistry that the German Chancellor had had with President Obama.
In the midst of global meetings in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, handshakes are still frowned upon, so there was not an opportunity to see if Biden would refuse to shake Merkel ‘s hand. Nevertheless, I was pleased (but of course not surprised) that at no point during their encounter did President Biden appear to do anything which remotely resembled throwing pieces of candy in Merkel’s direction. Conversely, at no point did the German Chancellor roll her eyes or shoot one of her scathing looks in the President’s direction. Instead, in the course of their 35-minute joint press conference, the two acted professional and cordial—just like one would expect of friends and allies.
President Biden did refer to the German leader as “Angela” on more than one occasion, and Merkel smiled modestly when Biden joked that having served as Chancellor for sixteen years, she “knows the Oval Office as well as I do.” Just as Obama routinely did, President Biden complemented Merkel on her leadership. “On behalf of the United States, thank you, Angela, for your career of strong, principled leadership. And thank you for speaking out for what is right and for never failing to defend human dignity.” Biden also ended his remarks when he stated he believed the two nations would continue to build on the alliance based on the foundation Merkel had laid, and again he personalized his remarks when he said, “I must tell you, I’ll miss seeing you at our summits. I truly will.”
Similarly, Merkel began her remarks to “Dear Joe” whom she referred to in this manner 3 times in their brief public encounter. She personalized her remarks when she referred to Biden as a friend, “—so happy about the personal exchange we have seen again today that we’re not only partners and allies, but we’re very close friends:” While I argue in my book that Germans are much more reluctant to use the term “friend” than Americans, and initially it took her a long time to finally warm up to Obama and publicly refer to him as a friend. It might seem a bit out of character for her to speak so openly about Biden so soon in his presidency. However, Merkel and Biden worked fairly closely with one another and enjoyed a good relationship when Biden served as Obama’s Vice President, so this is not completely unexpected. Moreover, Merkel also concluded her remarks by smiling modestly and told the newly elected President that she would like to continue their partnership even after she leaves office.
Vice President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel shake hands
While the two were certainly cordial with one another and clearly had a lot of respect and admiration for each other, one thing that was lacking in this visit was the personal chemistry that one could see between Obama and Merkel. There could be many reasons for this—as both Biden and Merkel both acknowledged, Germany (and other parts of Europe) were in the midst of a dangerous/deadly flooding, and it is possible Merkel was preoccupied with what was happening in her country and that was her primary focus. It is also possible that even though Biden and Merkel had worked together previously, they still were not as close as Obama and Merkel, and because of Merkel’s upcoming retirement from public life, the two would not have the time to develop that closeness that Obama and Merkel had. Nevertheless, the unusual melancholy manner that one sensed during Obama and Merkel’s final press conference was absent here. Yes, the two of them acknowledged they would miss one another and hoped to continue their partnership, but the same emotional commitment seemed to lack when compared to Obama’s final trip to Berlin in November 2017.
One thing that remained clear from the words and remarks of both leaders is that regardless of who replaced Merkel, both remained confident that the ties between the two nations would continue to remain strong and grow. I am often asked what the world is going to do without Merkel’s leadership, because whether you love her or hate her, she has been a pillar of strength during some of the most turbulent times of the twenty-first century. People ask me who I would like to see replace Merkel, and my official statement is, I am not a German citizen, it is not my place to decide—that is up to the German people to decide. I do hope, that whoever it is, continues with Merkel’s with respect to importance on the relationship between the EU and the United States. Similarly, it is far too early in Biden’s presidency to see if he will be able to successfully repair the damage that the previous administration created with our allies, but if Biden’s first few months are any indication, I think we are on a good path.
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