This Blush Might Be the Moment Merkel Won the German Election
- Chancellor seen to have averted threat of chaos at G-20 summit
- Hamburg riots could yet return to haunt her as campaign begins
The Winners and Losers of the G-20 Summit
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Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and other Group of 20 leaders were already seated in the hushed auditorium of Hamburg’s $900 million concert hall when Angela Merkel walked in to a spontaneous burst of cheers and applause.
With the world’s attention on the German chancellor during her biggest global summit yet, the surprise moment at the 2,100-seat Elbphilharmonie shows both Merkel’s international standing and the risks that come with it. After hosting two days of “difficult” talks, Merkel can claim the credit for avoiding an open break with the U.S. president over trade and keeping the other 19 nations united behind climate goals that Trump has rejected.