U.S. President Donald Trump has governed largely around Congress over the past two years, relying on executive orders, and will continue to do so, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday in Berlin.
The head of the German government, quoted by the dpa news agency, was commenting on the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections, which ended in a triumph for the Democrats.
“Over the past two years, Trump has largely governed around Congress. For most of that time, he has used executive orders. And he will keep doing so,” Merz said at an economic forum of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the German capital.
The German chancellor also stressed that under the Constitution, the U.S. president holds a strong position and can make decisions independently of Congress. In Merz’s assessment, however, budget planning will change, and with it planning for the armed forces. He cautioned, though, that this will take time.
In the midterm elections, the Democratic Party took control of both chambers of Congress, scoring decisive victories in states where it had not won in decades, including Texas. (PAP)
