Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has called the influence of tech billionaires such as Elon Musk over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump a "huge concern".

The new book by former Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany also aims to justify decisions she made that are still affecting her country and the rest of Europe.

Germany's Angela Merkel recalls tricky dealings with world leaders from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin during her 16-year chancellorship in her frank memoirs, published as her legacy comes under intense scrutiny.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel sought advice from the pope on dealing with Donald Trump when he was first elected U.S. president, hoping to find ways of convincing a man she saw as having a property developer's winner-or-loser mentality not to quit the Paris climate accords.

Merkel says she felt “sorrow” at Donald Trump’s return to power and recalls that every meeting with him was “a competition: you or me.”

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed concern after Donald Trump offered Elon Musk a position in the government. During an interview about the release of her memoir, the former leader warned about the importance of maintaining a balance between business and politics.

Ms Merkel worked with four American presidents while she was German chancellor. She was in power throughout Mr Trump’s first term – easily the most tense period for German-US

The diaries of Angela Merkel will soon be available in German bookstores. The former Chancellor of Germany has described her political life in detail. Before the release on November 26, excerpts from her memoirs,