Trump critic Steinmeier tapped as next German president
Germany's ruling coalition backed Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the country's next president Monday, paving the way for an outspoken critic of Donald Trump to become head of state in Europe's top economy. Party leaders have been wrangling for months over whom to nominate as a successor to President Joachim Gauck, a 76-year-old pastor from the ex-communist East Germany who is stepping down due to his advanced age. On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc agreed on Germany's most popular politician, Steinmeier, whose name had been put forward by his Social Democratic Party (SPD).