Donald Trump was notably absent from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's response to the news that Joe Biden had been projected as the victor of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. 

No reference, no mention, nothing. No longer relevant or not worth it? The relationship between the two has been fractured during the four years since Trump's victory in 2016. Her strong rapport with former President Barack Obama was in stark contrast to the iciness between her and his successor – a tense first meeting in 2017 was a sign of things to come. 

Though his name never appeared, Trump was present in the warmth of her congratulations. Where Merkel had set conditions for cooperation between her country and the Trump administration in 2016, smoothness was assumed with the projected incoming Biden administration. COVID-19 and climate change were just two of the topics on which Merkel and Trump differed – she made sure to mention them in her response. 

Though what Merkel thinks or says might not matter all that much – she has, after all, already entered her final year as chancellor. 

Should Biden assume office on January 20, 2021, the window to work with Merkel will be 10 months long. She will not be standing for a fifth term after 15 years at the top of German politics. Infighting has been rife within her party, the Christian Democratic Union, and it has yet to elect a candidate for the 2021 German federal election. A whole new set of differences or even closer cooperation between the two countries could yet be on the horizon.