Trump appointee Heather Nauert invokes D-Day while praising US-Germany relations
State department spokeswoman ridiculed for saying Allied invasion in WWII showed strength of relationship with government of Germany
A State Department spokeswoman has been ridiculed for citing the D-Day invasion as an example of America’s “very strong relationship” with Germany.
“We have a very strong relationship with the government of Germany,” Heather Nauert said.
“Looking back in the history books, today is the 71st anniversary of the speech that announced the Marshall Plan. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the D-Day invasion. We obviously have a very long history with the government of Germany, and we have a strong relationship with the government of Germany.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Nauert’s comments were mocked online with many pointing out the spokeswoman had been hired directly from Fox News.
Saying “we have a very long history with Germany” because the United States fought against Hitler and the Nazi Party in World War II “sounds closer to a veiled insult, and certainly isn’t a positive reflection of the closeness of Germany-US relations”, says Vox.
The State Department spokeswoman’s gaff came while she defending remarks made by the new US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, which drew condemnation from across Germany’s political spectrum.
Grenell, a former US spokesman at the United Nations and a strong supporter of Donald Trump, told the far-right Breitbart News he “absolutely wants to empower” European conservatives who are “experiencing an awakening from the silent majority”.
Grenell “turned heads when he did an interview with Breitbart”, says CNN. The ambassador was criticised for “politicising diplomacy at a time when US-German relations are strained over Trump's withdrawals from the Iran deal and the Paris climate accord and his imposition of steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union”, adds the broadcaster.
Grenell’s words were “widely received as Grenell weighing in on German politics — against Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centrist government, and in favor of the right-wing Alternative for Deutschland party”, says Vox.
Grenell later denied that this is what he meant, “but the damage was done”, adds the website.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Sitting in judgment on Trump
Opinion Who'd want to be on this jury?
By Susan Caskie Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published