Trump, Macron and election: what prompted Merkel's blunt Munich speech
(Repeats Monday's story with no changes to text)
* Merkel's words borne of mounting frustration with Trump
* Domestic politics, Macron's election also played a part
* Weekend remarks were uncharacteristically blunt
By Noah Barkin
BERLIN, May 29 (Reuters) - For German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who often pulls her rhetorical punches, her weekend message signalling a shift in the post-war order was uncharacteristically blunt.
But growing frustration with U.S. President Donald Trump, a determination to reform Europe with France's incoming leader and political considerations closer to home convinced Merkel to take a stand, senior German and European officials said.
Speaking in a packed beer tent in Munich on Sunday, after a Group of Seven summit in Sicily and a NATO meeting in Brussels - both dominated by tensions with Trump - Merkel spoke with surprising frankness.
"The times when we could fully count on others are over to a certain extent. I have experienced this in the last few days," Merkel said.
"We Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands, of course in friendship with the United States, in friendship with Great Britain, with other neighbours wherever possible, also with Russia," she continued.
"But we must know that we need to fight for our future ourselves, as Europeans, for our destiny."
The fact that Merkel reiterated many of her points on Monday showed it was no accident.
Below are some of the factors which may have prompted Merkel to make her remarks. They are based on conversations with German and European officials, who declined to be named.
LOOMING ELECTION
Merkel's conservatives have built up a comfortable double-digit lead over their main rivals, the Social Democrats (SPD), in opinion polls ahead of a German election on Sept. 24.
But there are increasing signs that her opponents could be tempted to run an anti-Trump campaign that paints Merkel as being too soft on the president.
The SPD have made clear they will resist pressure from Trump for Germany to ramp up defence spending, another issue that resonates well with German voters. Merkel has supported higher spending despite the political risks.
By making clear that Germany may have to distance itself from Trump, she is protecting her domestic flank and reframing the defence spending issue: no longer is it about fulfilling Trump's wishes, but about building a European defence capacity independent of the United States.
Merkel hosts a G20 summit in Hamburg in early July. Until now, her approach has been to try to shepherd the Trump administration towards a consensus on major issues like free trade, climate change and migration.