Friedrich Merz, the leading candidate for Germany's chancellorship in the upcoming election, has condemned a leaked briefing by Germany's ambassador to the United States that heavily

criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump. Merz argued that the disclosure has harmed Germany's diplomatic standing.

The leaked briefing, reported exclusively by Reuters on Saturday, was dated January 14 and authored by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis. In the document, Michaelis expressed concerns that Trump’s policies threatened core democratic principles, undermined the independence of law enforcement and media, and gave excessive power to tech corporations.

Merz, speaking to Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio on Tuesday, said the leak could have significant repercussions. He warned that any attempts by the current German government to engage in dialogue with the U.S. administration might now face rejection.

“This message from Washington is written in the tone of a political activist and appears to have been intentionally leaked,” Merz stated. He described the incident as a grave misstep for German foreign policy, emphasizing the potential damage to bilateral relations. Photo by European People's Party, Wikimedia commons.