German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) voiced strong criticism of US President Donald Trump during his inaugural visit to Washington. The repeated delays in Trump’s tariffs created “a lot of uncertainty,” Klingbeil told reporters on Monday. The German economy needs “quick solutions,” he said. The SPD politician also criticized Trump’s ongoing pressure on the US Federal Reserve, calling “this political approach wrong.”
The finance minister spoke ahead of a meeting with his US counterpart, Scott Bessent. The talks were set to address the basic agreement on 15% US tariffs for most goods from the EU, which are scheduled to take effect this Thursday after a one‑week delay. Trump had repeatedly postponed the deadlines for a deal.
Many details of the “deal” remain unclear. Trump and Bessent are still maintaining special US tariffs of 50% on European steel and aluminum imports. Klingbeil intends to push for quota regulations for steel, allowing certain volumes to enter the US with little or no tariffs. “That would be very important for Germany’s steel industry and many jobs in Germany,” the vice chancellor said.
Regarding Trump’s pressure on the Fed and other institutions, Klingbeil stressed the importance of keeping “independent institutions independent” and avoiding political interference. He said it was not his style to “launch attacks on independent, neutral, and well‑established institutions.”
Trump has been pressuring the Fed for months to cut interest rates, even threatening at times to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Last week, after poor labor market data, the US president announced the dismissal of statistics chief Erika McEntarfer, accusing her of “manipulation.” Trump said he would appoint an “exceptional” successor in the coming days via his Truth Social platform.
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