Trump views Germany as political opponent - senior SPD lawmaker

Parliamentary faction leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) Thomas Oppermann attends a session of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin February 20, 2014. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Files

BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear with his latest tweet that he views Germany as a political opponent, said a senior German lawmaker from the Social Democrats, junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition. "Donald Trump makes clear with his tweet that he views Germany as a political opponent," Thomas Oppermann, head of the Social Democrats' (SPD) parliamentary group, told reporters on Tuesday. Trump criticised Germany earlier on Tuesday for its trade surplus and military spending levels, a day after Merkel rammed home her doubts about the reliability of the United States as an ally. In his tweet, Trump said: "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change." (Reporting by Matthias Sobolewski; Writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Paul Carrel)