A former Defense Department official in the Trump administration accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of attempting to interfere with the US presidential elections by praising President Joe Biden’s tenure in office.
while attending last weekend’s G7 summit in Italy, Chancellor Scholz told the Axel Springer media outlets that President Biden would win reelection and could provide critical leadership at a time when the West is facing a wide range of global issues that threaten the international order.
Scholz described Biden as “very clear” and “one of the most experienced politicians in the world,” particularly on “international politics.”
Scholz said Biden would be “an asset” at a “difficult” time and insisted that he was “a man who knows exactly what he is doing.”
Scholz, who insisted that Biden would likely win in November, said he found the speculation that Donald Trump might defeat Biden “a bit strange.” He explained that Biden’s policies had led to “proper economic development” in the US and suggested that global “peace and security are in good hands” with Biden in the White House.
Scholz also asserted that Biden was “committed to togetherness and cohesion” in the United States.
In a thread on X responding to the interview, former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Elbridge Colby described Scholz’s remarks as “quite remarkable,” and said that it would have been better if the German Chancellor stayed out of the presidential election.
Colby described Scholz’s comments on Biden’s economic policies and his commitment to cohesion as laughable and deserving of “outright scorn from many Americans.”
He also suggested that the German Chancellor knew nothing about US politics and added that it was “wildly inappropriate” for Scholz to comment on that or the presidential election.
Colby is considered a strong contender to serve as national security advisor in a second Trump administration.
