The Scoop
The European Union should consider making a deal with US President Donald Trump to eliminate all tariffs on American imports and in turn avoid punishing duties, a senior German conservative lawmaker told Semafor.
Jens Spahn, a high-ranking member of the opposition center-right Christian Democratic Union party with a focus on trade and economic policy, has ties to members of Trump’s circle and attended the Republican National Convention last summer. He’s on track to hold a high-ranking position if the CDU wins national elections Feb. 23, as polls predict.
As Europe scrambles to prepare its response to Trump’s threats of tariffs, including reciprocal duties, Spahn signaled an openness to make trade concessions.
“We as Europe could offer to go to zero [tariffs] for all US goods, and then say we would expect the same the other way around,” he said. “And then we could try to discuss a common approach toward China… The European Union has big leverage on China.”
He also suggested addressing Germany’s trade surplus with the US — which hit a record high last year — by purchasing more American arms and liquefied natural gas.
Know More
Spahn’s suggestion has been floated before in European political circles, but his comments provide the latest signal as to how the likely incoming German administration could approach future negotiations with Trump.
“If you start negotiating, you always can find a deal,” Spahn said, criticizing the current government’s approach to transatlantic relations, which he said was based on antagonism rather than trying to secure good terms.
Under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, relations with the new White House haven’t been particularly cozy: A leaked cable from the German ambassador in Washington said Trump threatens democracy, and Scholz has since threatened retaliation to US tariffs.
US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday snubbed a meeting with Scholz at the Munich Security Conference, but is expected to meet with Friedrich Merz, the leader of Spahn’s party who is the likely next German chancellor.
Spahn promised a “new start” to US-Germany ties if the CDU takes power, saying that he and others from his party have already been in touch with members of the Trump administration. During Trump’s first term, Spahn developed a friendship with Richard Grenell, the former US ambassador to Germany who was otherwise seen as isolated in Berlin. Trump has since tapped Grenell as an envoy for special missions. Spahn said he could “be a good bridge builder” between the US and Germany.
Spahn also largely dismissed concerns that Elon Musk’s embrace of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party could present a hurdle for traditional center-right European conservatives in Washington. He called the AfD pro-Russia and anti-American, saying it wouldn’t be in the United States’ national security interest to work with them.
“I don’t get it,” he said, “but we will see where it goes.”