German Foreign Ministry fires back at Donald Trump over debate barbs: ‘We don’t eat cats and dogs’
Germany’s foreign ministry mocked and responded sharply on Wednesday to former US President Donald Trump’s remarks during ABC’s first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, where he criticized Germany’s energy policy.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump motions while attending the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)(AP)
On Tuesday night, Trump claimed that Germany regretted its shift to renewable energy sources, using the country as an example to argue against the US’s adoption of similar policies. “You believe in things like we’re not going to frack, we’re not going to take fossil fuel, we’re not going to do things that are going to be strong, whether you like it or not,” he said.
“Germany tried that, and within one year, they were back to building normal energy plants.”
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Germany’s foreign ministry hammers Trump following the debate
Germany’s foreign ministry swiftly took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond, “Like it or not: Germany’s energy system is fully operational, with more than 50 percent renewables.”
“And we are shutting down — not building — coal and nuclear plants. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest.”
The ministry then took another jab at Trump, stating, “PS: We also don’t eat cats and dogs. #Debate2024,” alluding to a debunked claim Trump had repeated about undocumented immigrants eating pets in Ohio.
Also driven by the Greens party, the economy ministry retweeted the post and wrote, “New coal-fired power plants? No way!”
Germany’s energy transition, or ‘Energiewende,’ has aimed to increase renewable energy use while phasing out coal and nuclear power. This shift faced challenges, especially after Germany’s reliance on cheap Russian oil and gas was exposed during the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine. To cope with the resulting energy crisis, Germany was forced to keep some coal-fired power plants online longer than initially planned and even restarted others.
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While Trump referred to Germany building “normal power plants,” no new coal-fired plants are under construction. However, in February, Berlin approved a plan to build four major natural gas plants, arguing they were necessary to stabilize the energy grid as the country continues to transition to renewable energy.
