Merkel Declines to Die for Trump [Update*2: Trump Postpones G7 to At Least September]

Those leaders have been onto Trump for a long time!!





"European G7 leaders are concerned that Trump may simply want to use their visit for an election-year photo op, and as a basis for declaring the world is getting back to work — thanks to him"


https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/29/1948691/-Merkel-Declines-to-Die-for-Trump?utm_campaign=trending



Merkel Declines to Die for Trump [Update*2: Trump Postpones G7 to At Least September]

Friday May 29, 2020 · 9:08 PM CDT


A little over a week ago, Trump announced he wanted to have the G7 leaders meet in person in July. (The United States is this year’s host.) First it was going to be at Camp David, which is bad enough as a pandemic breeding ground, but then he changed to the White House, which is an even tighter space. I posted a diary back then, Is Trump Trying to Kill the G7 Leaders, with a poll where the choices were “Sure, we’ll die for your ego” or “Shove it (insert more diplomatic language).” 98% of you picked the latter.

Well, it turns out the 98% were right. Merkel rebuffs Trump invitation to G7 summit. (What, you were expecting anything else?)

BERLIN — Angela Merkel has rebuffed Donald Trump’s invitation to attend a G7 summit, which the U.S. president is keen to portray as a symbol of a return to normality from the upheaval of the coronavirus crisis.

OK, she did the diplomatic version of “shove it”:

"The federal chancellor thanks President Trump for his invitation to the G7 summit at the end of June in Washington. As of today, considering the overall pandemic situation, she cannot agree to her personal participation, to a journey to Washington," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told POLITICO Friday.

"She will of course continue to monitor the development of the pandemic."

No great surprise, she and the others saw right through his scheme:

But while officials said Merkel's reluctance to attend the G7 summit was primarily based on the ongoing health situation, they also said European G7 leaders are concerned that Trump may simply want to use their visit for an election-year photo op, and as a basis for declaring the world is getting back to work — thanks to him.

She is also, politico.eu reminds us, a research scientist and based her decision on science.