Merkel's memoirs reveal candid take on Trump and global leaders

Angela Merkel, who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, reflects on her life in these diaries, published three years after her retirement. She writes about her carefree childhood in Waldorf, surrounded by nature, and her positive relationships with the religious community and neighbors, from whom she learned a lot.

However, the most intriguing excerpts are those where she shares her reflections on leaders who continue to influence the world. She met most of them face to face.

Merkel's diaries, titled "Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021", are to be released on November 26 in 30 countries. A week later, the book will reach readers in the USA.

The book went to print before the elections. The former chancellor openly expresses her hope for Kamala Harris's victory.

She also evaluates Donald Trump, who began his first term during her tenure, criticizing his materialism. "He saw everything from the perspective of the property developer he was before entering politics. Each parcel of land could only be sold once, and if he didn't get it someone else did. That's how he saw the world," the former Chancellor of Germany wrote.

She also mentions the advice given to her by Pope Francis when she asked how to deal with "people with fundamentally different views." The Pope immediately guessed it was about Trump and his unique stance on climate change. "Bend, bend, bend, but make sure it doesn't break," advised Francis.

Angela Merkel does not avoid commenting on Vladimir Putin either. During her tenure, relations with the future aggressor were stable. Today, Merkel is criticized for making the European economy overly dependent on cheap gas from Russia.

"I experienced him as someone who didn't want to be disrespected, ready to lash out at all times," Merkel wrote. She explained that the Russian dictator must have felt a panic-driven need to maintain respect, enforcing a dominant position through his demeanor.

The diaries of Angela Merkel, the first woman to hold the office of Chancellor, co-written with political advisor Beate Baumann, offer an intriguing study of world politics and a fascinating chronicle of life in two German states. Merkel lived 35 years in East Germany and 35 years in unified Germany, with her political career beginning with the fall of the Berlin Wall.