The German political establishment responded in a staunch manner to US-President-elect Donald Trump’s interviews to British London Times and German Bild, criticising him on adopting a protectionist economic policy and his stance on Russia and the migrant crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted to Mr. Trump’s position that her policy on immigration was catastrophic, while predicting that more EU member-states would follow Britain’s lead and leave the union, by noting that the fate of the EU was in the hands of the Europeans and she would continue working for the common good of the continent.

On his part, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble warned Mr. Trump against implementing protectionist economic measures as this would jeopardise the global economy, while he went on to stress that risk of “flirting” with Russia, raising concerns of a potential breakdown of the west’s alliance. German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel also blasted Mr. Trump in response to the latter’s threats of imposing import taxes on BMW if the company decided to open a plant in Mexico and sell its cars in the US market, saying that US auto-industry would “find itself unpleasantly surprised if the extra-parts needed for cars in the US were imported with a 35% tax”. Mr. Gabriel also made reference to the migration crisis, reminding Mr. Trump that it was the wars waged by his country in the middle East that had caused the crisis in the first place.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steimeir expressed his surprise over the President-elect’s statements.