Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) said the US was missing as an important nation. Under Trump, the US could no longer play a role in the “Western community of values,” he declared. The G7 summit was “a signal for a shift in global power relations,” he continued, adding, “The West is becoming somewhat smaller.”

The Left Party sought to outdo Merkel and the SPD. Party Chairwoman Katja Kipping called in the Bild newspaper for a tougher approach to dealing with Trump. Germany had to stop being “a yes-man towards the US,” she wrote. The friendliest thing she could think of to say to the US president was that “he is an infantile narcissist.” Europe had to move closer together in response to Trump, she added.