The remarks highlight tensions between the United States and its European allies under President Donald Trump, with disputes over ​trade, the wars in Ukraine and now Iran putting the ​NATO alliance under strain.

Merz last month said the United ⁠States was being humiliated in the Iran war, angering Trump. Days later, Washington ​announced a partial troop withdrawal from Germany and tariff hikes on European Union ​cars, a sector where Germany is strong.

Speaking to a young audience at a Catholic convention in Wuerzburg, Merz said people were too prone to think in “disaster ​mode” about the state of the world and urged Germans to ​feel more optimistic about their own country’s potential.

“I firmly believe that there are ‌few ⁠countries in the world that offer such great opportunities, especially for young people, as Germany,” he said.

“I wouldn’t recommend that my children go to the US today, get their education there, and work ​there, simply because a ​social climate ⁠has suddenly developed there,” said Merz, a 70-year-old father of three.

“Today, the best-educated people in America have ​great difficulty finding a job.”

Merz took office in ​2025 as ⁠a self-professed transatlanticist but has since criticised Germany’s most powerful ally. Trump, in turn, said Merz should focus on fixing his own “broken country”.

“I ⁠am ​a great admirer of America,” Merz told ​his audience. “My admiration isn’t growing at the moment,” he said to laughter and applause.