He also said his Social Democratic Party (SPD) has a “good chance” of winning a new election. The SPD currently trails the CDU by 17 points in the polls, according to BILD.
To force Scholz from office, rather than waiting for the chancellor to seal his own fate with a confidence vote he would likely lose, Merz would need votes from far-right or far-left parties.
Scholz and Merz spoke on Friday, but their meeting ended in disagreement, DW reported.
During his Sunday evening interview, Scholz said he has sent congratulations to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and that a call between the two men is “on the way.”
Trump has already spoken with several other European leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and the United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer.
When asked about the challenges of dealing with Trump, Scholz said: “I am never naive, but I am also fearless,” adding: “We dance with whomever is in the room.” He said he expects that “the most powerful democracy in the world” will continue to be Germany’s partner.
Asked about a social media jab from billionaire Elon Musk, Scholz said: “It ennobles me,” but declined to add further comment.
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