With the re-election of former President Donald Trump to the White House and the collapse of the coalition government under German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany is bracing for an economically and politically dubious time. 

From the campaign trail, Trump pledged to increase import tariffs on friends and foes alike under the “Trump Reciprocal Trade Act” which would increase all U.S. tariffs to match the taxes enforced by each corresponding country.  

“If India, China, or any other country hits us with a 100 or 200 percent tariff on American-made goods, we will hit them with the same exact tariff,” he outlined in his campaign agenda. “If they charge US, we charge THEM—an eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount.”

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However, it is unclear if the president-elect still plans to push these specific tariff increases, as he has also suggested there should be a 10% tariff on imports from all countries, as well as 60% duties on imports from China, according to a Reuters report. 

China was not the only country in Trump’s crosshairs, as the now president-elect also referred to the European Union (EU) as a “mini China” and warned the bloc would have to pay up.

“They don’t take our cars. They don’t take our farm products. They sell millions and millions of cars in the United States,” he told supporters at an October rally in Pennsylvania. “No, no, no. They are going to have to pay a big price.”

Some economic experts have warned that increasing tariffs – which are paid by companies importing the goods, not by government entities – could lead to rising costs worldwide, including in the U.S., as well as further inflation.

A report earlier this month by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) pointed to findings by Germany’s Institute for Economic Research in Cologne that said the promised Trump tariffs are estimated to cost the country roughly $127 billion over the next four years. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz leaves the Bellevue Palace in Berlin on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

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“Trump’s victory does not bode well for a Germany that is dependent on U.S. security and thrives on open markets,” the GMF said in its report on how the U.S. election will impact Germany. “And uncertainty in Europe’s largest economy is not ideal when the EU needs to find its place in a world in which the U.S. president is not expected to support the traditional, rules-based international order.”

However, it is not only Germany’s flagging economy that could spell uncertainty for Berlin’s international standing, as Scholz faces a vote of no confidence in January after he fired his Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his coalition government collapsed. 

A confidence vote is now set to be held in Germany on December 16 – which Scholz, given his minority status, is expected to lose. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Jan. 17, 2024. (Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images)

The most likely next step will be for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the parliament and call for elections which are not expected to be held on Feb. 23, 2025.  

The EU now stares down a potential trade war with the Trump administration while one of its leading nations, both geopolitically and economically, will essentially sit as a lame duck while Berlin waits to see who will be next to lead the country. 

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz – who could find himself the next German chancellor – said he intends to cut a deal with Trump.

In an interview with Stern magazine, Merz reportedly said, “In Germany, we have never really articulated and enforced our interests well enough, and we have to change that.

“The Americans are much more on the offensive. It shouldn’t end with only one side profiting, but rather with us making good arrangements for both sides,” Merz said according to a Bloomberg report on the interview. “Trump would call it a deal.”

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains critical and could deteriorate further, warns the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).

Speaking to Euronews in Brussels, UNRWA Director in Gaza, Scott Anderson, called on all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity of safe places for civilians.

“There’s nowhere safe in Gaza. Including the safe zones. And unfortunately, all parties to the conflict are not respecting the sanctity of sites that should be safe for civilians, including hospitals and schools.” said Anderson.

He stressed that both UNRWA facilities and Palestinian schools have been targeted, appealing to all sides to uphold the protection of these locations so civilians can find safety for themselves and their families.

Too cosy with Hamas?

Anderson also responded to past allegations that his agency was too lenient with Hamas, which the EU designates as a terrorist organisation.

He underlined that UNRWA took swift action after discovering that some of its employees were linked to the group.

When asked if he could confidently say that UNRWA had removed all Hamas operatives, Anderson was frank in his reply:

“No, I don’t think anybody can say anything with certainty about their workforce anywhere. We have over 13,000 people. We do take ‘neutrality’ very seriously, as shown by the commissioner general’s very swift action. But no, I can’t with certainty say that’s done,” he said.

Anderson also reiterated that they don’t have any evidence of employing Hamas members, and if they did, the necessary actions would have already been taken.

You can watch the full interview on the situation in Gaza on Thursday and online at euronews.com.

Chloe Fineman claimed in a now-deleted TikTok post that Elon Musk made her cry when he hosted “Saturday Night Live.”

Back in August, Fineman’s “SNL” co-star Bowen Yang revealed on “Watch What Happens Live” that a male host once made “multiple cast members cry” during a table-read for the sketch comedy series.

“This man who…this person, this host made multiple cast members cry on Wednesday during the, before the table-read, because he hated the ideas,” Yang said when asked on the late-night talk show about the worst “SNL” host behavior he’s ever witnessed. He later called the experience “terrible.”

In a video posted (and deleted) on TikTok on Monday, Fineman named Musk — who hosted in May 2021 — as said “SNL” host after he criticized Dana Carvey’s impression of him over the weekend and said the show has been “dying slowly for years, as they become increasingly out of touch with reality.”

“OK, I just saw some news article about Elon Musk being like butt-hurt about ‘SNL’ and his impression, but I’m, like, you’re clearly watching the show. Like, what are you talking about?” Fineman said at the beginning of the video. “And I’m like, you know what? I’m gonna come out and say at long last that I’m the cast member that he made cry. And he’s the host that made someone cry. Maybe there’s others.”

Fineman seemingly referred to the coverage of Yang’s appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” saying that she “saw some articles and stuff” about the situation at “SNL.” “I was like, I’m not gonna say anything. But I’m like, no, if you’re gonna go on your platform and be rude, like, guess what? You made I, Chloe Fineman, burst into tears because I stayed up all night writing the sketch,” she said of Musk. “I was so excited, I came in, I asked if you had any questions and you stared at me like you were firing me from Tesla and were like, ‘It’s not funny.’”

Fineman continued: “I waited for you to be like, ‘Ha ha, jk.’ No. Then you started pawing through my script, like flipping each page, being, like, ‘I didn’t laugh once, not one time.’” The unidentified sketch did make it onto the show, according to Fineman, who said “it was fine” and she “actually had a really good time.”

“I thought you were really funny in it,” Fineman added. “But, you know, have a little manners here, sir.”

Variety has reached out to Fineman’s reps for additional comment.