In 2000, my family relocated from Knoxville, Tennessee to Nashua, New Hampshire as the telecom industry grew exponentially in towns across the southern state-line. Like many families, I am sure, my parents chose Nashua because it had been named the best place to live in America, not once, but twice, in 1987 and 1997. Southern New Hampshire was an amazing place to grow up, but it wasn’t until I went to college and later moved abroad that I realized just how beautiful and unique a place it really is.

Living abroad as a German-American, I also better understood what it has meant to be the child of an immigrant in a country founded by an incredible, industrious and diverse melting pot of immigrants. This week, as we celebrate German-American day, I am reflecting on that experience that I and many German-Americans across New Hampshire surely share. I am also remembering the stories my grandmother told me of growing up in the horror that was Nazi-Germany and the fear and concern she showed when Trump would demonize immigrants and began to implement many of his divisive and dangerous policies.

The American Dream is a promise that has attracted so many German immigrants over the last two centuries. They brought with them their strong work ethic, tenacity as well as culture and traditions. At the same time, the United States, since the end of World War II, has realized the value of a free and democratic Germany. American presidents from both parties worked to support Germany through initiatives such as the Marshall plan and the Berlin Airlift. Then, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the United States helped reunify Germany after decades of occupation that had left families separated. The United States also supported Germany and its neighbors in the creation of the European Union, a union that has created a stronger, safer, and more prosperous Europe.

But in the past four years our country has lost its way and damaged some of the most important relationships we have, including with Germany. After years of mismanagement and erratic behavior, only 10% of Germans trust the current president to do the right thing. President Trump has left us weaker and more alone than ever by insulting distinguished leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and breaking international obligations, like the Paris Climate Agreement and the Iran Deal, that make the world safer.

Now, as the deadly COVID-19 virus rages across the country and the world, transatlantic cooperation is more vital than ever. The United States and Europe would be better served by working together to combat the disease, just as the Obama-/Biden administration did to manage the Ebola outbreak. Instead, Trump has only increased distrust among our allies by irrationally removing the United States from the World Health Organization, an organization founded to ensure global cooperation at a time just like this.

Moreover, Trump’s inability to lead during the pandemic has damaged our image around the world, including that with Germany. Germans have watched in horror as a tragic and unnecessary number of Americans have lost their lives to this pandemic. As a result, the European Union made a difficult decision, based on the current health crisis in the U.S., to prohibit Americans from entering the European Union. Sadly, that prohibition remains in place.

The United States and Europe are stronger as allies and close friends. Together, our economies are able to support 15 million Americans and Europeans who earn their livelihoods from the $5.6 trillion transatlantic commercial relationship. Together, we must continue to stand up against Moscow’s malign influence and election meddling and China’s human rights violations. And, together, we must continue to support a free and democratic Europe.

We can restore America’s credibility abroad and build back our damaged relationship with our German friends and allies. The future of free and democratic Europe depends on it. We can and we must do better.

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