BERLIN (AP) – Senior German officials reacted with surprise and alienation Monday to comments made by President-elect Donald Trump, who said in an interview that NATO was “obsolete” and threatened Germany’s automakers with hefty import taxes.
Trump said in an interview with German daily Bild and The Times of London that German car manufacturers could face tariffs of up to 35 percent if they set up plants in Mexico instead of the U.S. and try to export cars to the U.S. from there.
Such tariffs would make “the American auto industry worse, weaker and more expensive,” Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s economy minister, told Bild.
Gabriel, who is also vice chancellor, suggested more self-confidence in dealing with Trump. He said: “We’re not weak and inferior.”
Trump, who in his interview Sunday singled out BMW, said the German carmaker could face tariffs if it goes ahead with plans to open a plant in Mexico and sell cars to the U.S.