US President Joe Biden answers reporters’ questions after speaking in the dining room of the White House in Washington, US, on September 24, 2021, about coronavirus (COVID-19) and booster vaccines.
Evelyn Hochstein | Reuters
Our President Joe Biden said Sunday after a reporter told him that the SPD is leading Germany’s historic federal election.
Biden, who spent the weekend at Camp David, did not know who would win the German vote until he returned to Washington, DC.
“It’s powerful,” Biden said of the results.
The first results on Monday gave the SPD (center-left) the bulk of the vote with 25.9%, according to returning federal employee Merkel, the right-wing bloc of the CDU and the Christian Social Union received 24.1% of the vote.
Alliance negotiations will begin now, but could take weeks or even months.
The elections come at a time of strained relations between Germany and the United States. The next German government will have to work closely with the Biden administration if both sides are to de-escalate tensions.
Issues include the US signing of a defense contract with Australia, the difficult withdrawal of both countries from Afghanistan and the lack of a long-term solution to end persistent trade tariffs. The United States also refused to allow European travelers into the country this summer, even though the European Union opened its doors to American visitors in June.
At the same time, the United States also opposed Germany’s deal with the Russian energy company Gazprom, the pipeline is now complete and is awaiting approval by German regulatory authorities.
