Scholz hopes Biden is re-elected as ‘divisive’ Trump is bad for US

JOE BIDEN is better than Donald Trump, the German chancellor has said, as he expressed hope that the US president would be re-elected for a second term.

Olaf Scholz, the centre-left leader, yesterday accused Mr Trump of being divisive and said that it would be bad for Germany and the US if the Republican were to return to the White House.

Recent polls show that 80-year-old Mr Biden has an edge over potential Republican challengers Donald Trump and Ron Desantis as the November 2024 vote draws closer.

“I think the current president is better, so I want him to be re-elected,” Mr Scholz, 64, said, as he answered questions from pupils at a primary school near Berlin.

Biden’s many years of public service mean he knows exactly “what you have to do to prevent the world from going to war”, Mr Scholz said.

Referring to Mr Trump, he added: “If all people are only against each other, then there cannot be a good future, and that is why the former president certainly stands for a great division in the country.”

Mr Scholz was unusually direct in spelling out his preferences ahead of 2024’s presidential election, although he would be expected to prefer a Democrat to a Republican candidate. He also warned that Russia cannot win the war in Ukraine.

European governments are concerned about the consequences of a Trump victory for American support for Ukraine and European security in general.

Relations with European allies were strained by the Trump presidency, particularly after Mr Trump threatened to pull out of Nato, unless other members boosted their defence spending. Mr Trump also clashed with Angela Merkel, then chancellor, when Mr Scholz was finance minister in her coalition government.

Since becoming German leader, Mr Scholz has promised a huge increase in defence spending and backs initiatives to boost EU military capacity, which are in part motivated by the fear of the unpredictable Mr Trump returning to power.