My admiration is not growing
Em Würzburg, o chanceler alemão Friedrich Merz disse a jovens católicos que não recomendaria a seus filhos estudar ou trabalhar nos Estados Unidos — não por razões econômicas, mas pelo que chamou de 'clima social' que tomou conta do país. A declaração, feita por um líder historicamente admirador da América, ecoa uma inquietação mais ampla sobre o que acontece quando uma nação que serviu de bússola para o mundo parece perder o rumo. No espaço entre a crítica pública e a ligação telefônica conciliatória com Trump, Merz navegou a tensão antiga entre dizer a verdade e manter alianças.
- Merz afirmou publicamente que a América já não oferece às novas gerações o que um dia prometeu — e a plateia aplaudiu.
- A tensão entre Berlim e Washington se acumulou por meses: críticas às negociações com o Irã, retirada de tropas americanas da Alemanha e ataques pessoais de aliados de Trump.
- Richard Grenell respondeu com hostilidade nas redes sociais, chamando Merz de chanceler sem estratégia e refém da mídia 'woke' alemã.
- Ao mesmo tempo em que criticava os EUA em público, Merz descrevia uma ligação 'boa e construtiva' com Trump — sinalizando que a relação ainda tenta se sustentar dentro do quadro da OTAN.
- O que ficou no ar foi a pergunta que nenhuma ligação telefônica resolve: se um líder europeu já não recomenda a América aos jovens, o que isso diz sobre o lugar que ela ocupa no imaginário ocidental?
Na sexta-feira, diante de jovens católicos em Würzburg, Friedrich Merz disse algo simples e de grande peso: não aconselharia seus três filhos a estudar ou trabalhar nos Estados Unidos. O motivo não era burocrático nem econômico — era o 'clima social' que, segundo ele, tomou conta do país. Merz declarou sua admiração histórica pela América antes de acrescentar a ressalva que definiria o discurso: 'No momento, minha admiração não está crescendo.'
O chanceler contrastou o que chamou de 'capitalismo puro' americano com a economia social de mercado alemã — um modelo que equilibra competição com proteção coletiva. Para os jovens na sala, sua mensagem foi clara: olhem para casa com otimismo, não para fora com saudade de um ideal que pode já não existir.
A declaração chegou num momento de tensão acumulada. Merz havia criticado a condução de Trump nas negociações com o Irã; Trump respondeu chamando sua liderança de 'terrível' e retirando cinco mil soldados americanos da Alemanha. Richard Grenell, conselheiro de Trump, foi ainda mais direto: atacou Merz nas redes sociais, dizendo que o chanceler não tinha estratégia e era controlado pela mídia 'woke' alemã.
Mas na mesma noite, Merz publicou que havia falado por telefone com Trump e descreveu a conversa como 'boa'. Reafirmou a parceria dentro da OTAN e o alinhamento sobre o Irã. Era um gesto de controle de danos — a tentativa de mostrar que, por baixo das críticas públicas, ainda havia uma relação funcional.
O que permaneceu em aberto foi a pergunta mais profunda: se o chanceler de um dos maiores aliados dos EUA já não recomenda a América como destino para os jovens, algo mudou — não apenas na política, mas no lugar que os Estados Unidos ocupam no horizonte de possibilidades do mundo ocidental.
Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, stood before a room of young Catholics in Würzburg on Friday and told them something that would ripple across the Atlantic within hours: he would not tell his own three children to go to America to study or work. The reason was not economic collapse or visa restrictions. It was, he said, the "social climate" that had taken hold in the United States.
Merz has long admired America. He said so explicitly, then added the qualifier that would define his remarks: "At the moment, my admiration is not growing." He described a country where even the most educated people struggle to find employment, where something unnamed but palpable has shifted in the national character. The audience applauded. For a German leader to publicly discourage his countrymen from seeking opportunity in the United States was, in its own quiet way, a statement of consequence.
The chancellor framed his concern not as a personal grievance but as a structural one. He contrasted what he called "pure capitalism" with Germany's model of social market economy—a system that balances profit with social protection, competition with collective welfare. Germany, he argued, offered young people something America no longer seemed to: genuine opportunity paired with stability. He urged the young people in the room to look homeward with optimism rather than outward with longing.
The statement landed in a context already fractured by months of tension. Weeks earlier, Merz had criticized Donald Trump's handling of Iran negotiations, suggesting that Tehran was outmaneuvering Washington at the bargaining table. Trump responded by calling Merz's leadership "terrible" and announcing the withdrawal of five thousand American soldiers from German bases—a move widely read as punishment. Before that, Merz had spoken of a widening "cultural chasm" between Europe and America, one he attributed to the culture wars championed by Trump's movement.
Richard Grenell, Trump's foreign policy adviser and former ambassador to Germany, did not wait long to respond. On social media, he attacked Merz directly, claiming the chancellor had no strategy and was controlled by "woke German media." The insult was sharp and personal, the kind of statement that closes doors rather than opens them.
Yet by Friday evening, Merz was claiming reconciliation. He posted that he had spoken by phone with Trump after the president's return from China, describing it as "a good conversation." He reaffirmed that the United States and Germany remained "solid partners" within NATO and aligned on Iran policy—that Tehran must return to negotiations, open the Strait of Hormuz, and abandon nuclear weapons development. The message was one of damage control, an attempt to suggest that beneath the public criticism lay a functional relationship.
What remained unclear was whether the damage could be repaired, or whether Merz's candid assessment of America's current condition—spoken to young people deciding their futures—had already shifted something in how Germans, and perhaps Europeans more broadly, saw their most powerful ally. The chancellor had not attacked America. He had simply suggested, in the plainest terms, that it was no longer the place to build a life.
Citas Notables
Today, I would not advise my children to go to the USA, study there, or work there, simply because a certain social climate has suddenly taken hold in the country— Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor
The Germans have a leader with no strategy and is completely controlled by woke German media— Richard Grenell, Trump's foreign policy adviser
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would a German chancellor risk saying something so blunt about America? Doesn't that damage the alliance?
Merz wasn't trying to damage anything. He was answering a direct question from young people about their futures. The bluntness came from honesty—he genuinely believes the social environment in America has deteriorated.
But couldn't he have said that privately, to Trump, instead of publicly?
Perhaps. But he's also a politician speaking to his own citizens. If young Germans are considering leaving for America, he has a responsibility to tell them what he actually thinks about conditions there.
Trump's adviser called him controlled by "woke media." That's a serious accusation. How does Merz respond to that?
By claiming the phone call went well and reaffirming NATO solidarity. It's a classic move—you say something uncomfortable publicly, then you smooth it over privately and hope people remember the smoothing over.
Do you think they will?
Not entirely. What Merz said about America's social climate will stick with people longer than any reassurance about NATO. He gave voice to something many Europeans are already feeling.
Which is what, exactly?
That America under Trump is becoming a less stable, less predictable place to build a future. Whether that's fair or not, it's now part of the conversation.