German foreign ministry to Trump: ‘We don’t eat cats and dogs’
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Trump amplified a false claim in a televised Sept 10 debate that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing residents' pets or taking wildlife from parks for food.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Follow topic:
BERLIN – Germany’s Foreign Ministry mocked US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s false assertion about migrants eating pets in a post on the social platform X on Sept 11 while pushing back against his criticism of German energy policy.
Trump amplified a false claim in a Sept 10 debate with Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris
He also attacked Ms Harris’ bid to move the country towards what she says will be a more diverse and sustainable mix of energy sources, saying Germany had tried and failed to give up fossil fuels.
“Like it or not: Germany’s energy system is fully operational, with more than 50 per cent renewables. And we are shutting down – not building – coal and nuclear plants. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest,” the Foreign Ministry said on X.
“PS: We also don’t eat cats and dogs. #Debate2024.”
The Economy Ministry, which is also run by the Greens party, retweeted the post, saying: “New coal-fired power plants? No way!”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not directly endorsed Ms Harris but praised her in July as a “competent and experienced politician who knows exactly what she is doing” and who could well win the US election.
Germany was a frequent focus of Trump’s ire during his 2017 to 2021 term as president due to its trade surplus with the US and low spending on defence.
Trump vows to impose higher tariffs on imports if elected, and to condition US support for members of the Nato military alliance on them spending the agreed 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence. German officials have said they expect to meet the 2 per cent target in 2024. REUTERS
