Four years ago, the joint program of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), referred to the United States as Germany's "most important friend" outside of Europe. The 2013 program also mentioned the "friendship" with Washington as a "cornerstone" of Germany's international relations and discussed strengthening transatlantic economic ties by removing trade barriers. However, in the latest election program titled "For a Germany in which we live well and happily," which Merkel and CSU leader Horst Seehofer presented on Monday ahead of a Sep 24 election, the words "friend" and "friendship" are absent. Instead, the United States is referred to as Germany's "most important partner" outside of Europe. CDU officials were not immediately available to provide a comment on the change in wording. The change in wording highlights the deteriorating relations between Berlin and Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January. Trump criticized Merkel during his campaign, calling her migration policies "insane" and has since criticized Germany's trade surplus with the US, NATO contributions, and decision to exit the Paris climate accord. A recent survey by the Pew Research Centre showed a decrease in favorable views of the US among Germans, from 57 percent at the end of Obama's term to 35 percent now. Merkel is set to host Trump and other leaders at a G20 summit in Hamburg later this week. The 2017 election programme for the CDU/CSU references historical US support for Germany after World War Two and leading up to German reunification, instead of the 2013 passage focusing on strengthening economic ties. In response to a difficult G7 summit where Trump resisted pressure to remain in the Paris agreement, Merkel reiterated in a speech the need for Europeans to take control of their own fate. The programme affirms Germany's commitment to NATO but also emphasizes the EU's need to be able to defend itself independently for long-term survival. It additionally includes a dedicated section called "Germany and France as the Driving Force of Europe" that pledges to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. The document expresses willingness to work with the new French government to enhance the eurozone, such as by establishing its own monetary fund. However, it rejects the idea of sharing debt in Europe and emphasizes that "solidarity" will only be achievable if EU nations adhere to the regulations of the bloc's Growth and Stability Pact.