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03:46 03.07.2017(updated 08:42 03.07.2017) Get short URL

Martin Schulz, a Social Democrat (SPD), has been hitting the campaign stump inhis attempt tounseat Merkel, butis currently a long shot despitetaking a brief lead inthe polls back inJanuary

AP Photo/ Martin Meissner

Schulz, inclaiming that Merkel does not go far enough tocounter comments aboutGermany bythe US president that are seen asbeing onthe rude side ofblunt, stated, "I would say toTrump: We don't agree withyour reasoning overa military buildup, which isn't justified byanything."

The center-left SPD party candidate asserted, "The German chancellor must sometimes dare tobe inconflict withthe American president," according toDeutsche Welle.

Merkel has been seen tobe patient withTrump's often outlandish and undiplomatic behavior, including afterthe US president suggested that the three-time German chancellor was "ruining Germany" byaccepting refugees.

Trump also referred toGermany as "very bad," because ofits trade imbalances, duringa meeting ofNATO leaders.

Schulz, a former president ofthe EU, stated ina clear reference toRussian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that his words were "not just forMerkel," aswith a G20 summit inHamburg coming up, "a democratic government needs toask itself if it wants tojoin inconsensus declarations withautocrats."

"Should we be making concessions toTrump, Erdogan and Putin? No," Schulz told Germany's Welt an Sommtag newspaper. "You can also give a president a clear no," the candidate suggested, referring toMerkel's diplomatic ability tokeep a political debate fromdescending intomere name-calling.

Schulz has seen the tide ofenthusiasm forhis candidacy ebb inrecent weeks infavor ofMerkel. A recent survey fromGerman polling agency INSA revealed that 37 percent ofvoters inthe country favor ofMerkel and just 24 percent support Schultz.

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'Dare to be in Conflict': Merkel Rival Calls Her Soft on Trump, Putin, Erdogan - Sputnik International