The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, met with the American Governor of California Gavin Newsom during the Munich Security Conference. Merz shared a photo from their meeting and wrote: “The transatlantic partnership is precious. In times of great powers, we will depend on mutual trust. @GavinNewsom and I agree: Together we are stronger. The NATO is our common competitive advantage.”
President Donald Trump‘s Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions for the United States, Richard Grenell, who is also serving as Director of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., responded by writing: “German government embraces Gavin Newsom. Quite possibly the biggest Merz gaffe to date.”
Sorry, why should a German chancellor not speak with a US Governor? https://t.co/ZKJJN5BMQH
— Helmut Brandstätter MdEP (@HBrandstaetter) February 15, 2026
Helmut Brandstatter, a member of the European Parliament where he sits with the Renew Europe parliamentary group and is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, replied to Grenell: “Sorry, why should a German chancellor not speak with a US Governor?”
More than one Merz critic in the comments claimed that the Chancellor did not post a photo or share insight from his meeting with Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though Merz can hardly be credibly accused of hiding his interaction with Rubio.
With the group photo below (Merz is sitting directly across from Rubio), Merz reported on Friday: “For three generations, trust amongst allies and partners has made NATO the strongest alliance of all times. In the era of great power rivalry, being a part of NATO is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. So let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.”
For three generations, trust amongst allies and partners has made NATO the strongest alliance of all times. In the era of great power rivalry, being a part of NATO is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. So let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together. pic.twitter.com/Io05Q0COzD
— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) February 13, 2026
Note: Merz also shared a video of his physical embrace of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reported, “Together against Russian imperialism. Together for peace in Europe.”
Together against Russian imperialism. Together for peace in Europe. https://t.co/xbgwrqMQkO
— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) February 13, 2026
In Munich, Newsom presented himself and his state as “reliable” partners for Europe, especially in the combat against climate change. Taking a position that alienated Grenell and other Trump officials, Newsom emphasized the “temporary” status of Donald Trump’s presidency with assurances that he’ll be “gone in three years.”