Germany reacts to Donald Trump’s debate comments

Germany denies a claim by former President Donald Trump during the presidential debate Tuesday about the country's renewable energy industry.

“They believe in things like: we're not going to do fracking, we're not going to use fossil fuels, we're not going to do things that are going to be powerful whether you like it or not,” Trump said in his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. “Germany tried that, and within a year they were back to building normal energy plants.”

But on Wednesday, Germany's Foreign Office decided to issue a counterstatement, using the former president's words.

“Whether we like it or not, the German energy system is fully functional and consists of more than 50% renewable energy,” said the Foreign Office. divided to X. “And we are closing coal and nuclear power plants – instead of building them. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest.”

The German Foreign Ministry also took aim at Trump for another remark he made during the debate.

“PS: We don't eat cats and dogs either,” it concluded, referring to Trump's debunked claim that Haitian migrants had eaten pets in Springfield, Ohio. City authorities said that There were no credible reports about migrants who target pets.

“Contradiction with facts and humor – that is the right answer to disinformation,” added German Foreign Minister Anna Lührmann on Thursday about her government's reaction. “As democrats, we can no longer afford to leave false statements uncommented.”

Climate change and energy policy are frequently addressed in the campaigns of both candidates. Trump also claimed that if Harris wins the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will be “ended on day one.”

“Fossil fuels are going to be dead,” Trump said. “We're going to go back to windmills and we're going to go back to solar energy.”

Before becoming vice president, Harris, who was a senator for California, advocated for climate-friendly policies. “There is no question that I support a ban on fracking,” Harris said in 2019. But as vice president, she has changed course.

“I did not ban fracking as vice president,” Harris told Trump. “My position is that we need to invest in diverse energy sources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, energy costs in Germany have skyrocketed as Berlin looks for alternatives to Russian energy. The United States exported over 200 million cubic feet of liquefied natural gas to Germany last year. Russian natural gas volumes on the German energy market fell by 30% in 2022.

“Yes, Germany is serious about the energy transition,” said a post by the German Embassy in Washington on X. “Our energy system is fully functional, with > 50% renewable energy. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest – while we invest billions to create new opportunities in former coal regions.”

Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants last year. The majority of energy consumption is to be converted to renewable energy by 2050. But according to the Federal Environment Agency, the country still needs “additional measures” to achieve its climate goals.

As president, Trump criticized Berlin's energy policy, which was heavily dependent on Russia. In 2019, he signed the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act, which provides for sanctions against ships involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2, an undersea pipeline owned by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.

In May 2021, the State Department lifted previously imposed sanctions, but the lifting was lifted a day before Russia invaded Ukraine. In September 2022, a series of explosions first detected by Scandinavian authorities off the Danish island of Bornholm ruptured the pipeline. Last month, German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian citizen who they said had been living in Poland but had left the country.

The US denied any involvement in the attack and condemned the acts of sabotage against the pipeline.

During the debate, Trump continued to attack the Biden administration over the pipeline. “Why is Biden stepping in, stopping the Keystone pipeline and approving the biggest deal Russia has ever made, Nord Stream 2? Because they are weak and ineffective,” Trump said when asked Harris about her administration's foreign policy.