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Germany rejects Trump's energy claim, mocks him over pets

September 11, 2024

Berlin has fact-checked Donald Trump's claim that Germany reneged on its green energy plans. The Foreign Ministry spelled out Germany's renewable energy use and that the country's diet does not include cats or dogs.

Donald Trump gestures with both hands during the 2024 presidential election debate
Trump falsely claimed that Germany had rolled back its energy plansImage: Win McNamee/UPI Photo via Newscom picture alliance

Germany rejected claims made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump regarding the country's energy network and also made fun of his baseless claim that immigrants are eating pets in the United States.

At the end of Trump's televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, he attacked what he called the Democratic candidate's refusal to use fracking and fossil fuels.

"Germany tried that and within one year they were back to building normal energy plants," Trump said.

German government 'didn't know what he meant'

At a press conference on Wednesday, a government spokesman said, "We took note of [Trump's comments] with some surprise."

"I didn't know what the presidential candidate meant by this," the spokesperson added, referring to Trump's comment on German energy policy.

"Like it or not: Germany's energy system is fully operational, with more than 50% renewables," the German Foreign Ministry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "And we are shutting down — not building — coal & nuclear plants. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest."

Making fun of Trump's pets accusation

"We also don't eat cats and dogs," the ministry wrote in reference to Trump's baseless assertion that immigrants are stealing and eating pets in a US city.

During the debate, Trump referred to an unfounded claim that Haitian immigrants in the small Ohio city of Springfield are stealing pets and eating them.

Springfield police, however, said in a statement: "There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," Springfield police said in a statement.

Harris-Trump debate: Watch DW TV's analysis

jsi/sms (AFP, press release)

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