By Miranda Murray, Madeline Chambers and Sarah Marsh
BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris as a "competent and experienced" politician who could well win the U.S. election, but stopped short of endorsing her over Republican Donald Trump.
While Scholz's nearly two-hour long summer news conference touched on an array of topics including his own bid for re-election, the Nov. 5 presidential vote in Germany's top trade and security ally dominated reporters' questions.
"The election campaign in the USA will certainly be exciting, now with a slightly new line-up and a new constellation," said Scholz.
"I think it is very possible that Kamala Harris will win the election, but the American voters will decide."
Scholz had been unusually direct in his endorsement of U.S. President Joe Biden before the latter dropped his reelection bid last weekend and endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party's candidate to face Trump in the November election.
Many German politicians are concerned about a possible return to the White House of Trump, who vows to impose higher tariffs on imports if elected and to put conditions on U.S. support for members of the NATO military alliance.
Germany was frequently the focus of Trump's ire during his first, 2017-21 term due to its trade surplus with the United States and low spending on defence, which it has however increased significantly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Scholz said he had met Harris several times.
"This is a competent and experienced politician who knows exactly what she is doing," he said. "She knows what she wants and what she can do."
The chancellor danced around a reporter's question about whether he had directly contacted Trump after the July 13 assassination attempt on the ex-president, instead saying he had "extensive contacts in other countries, always within the appropriate framework".
Scholz said he would work well with whoever won the November election in the U.S.
Separately Scholz assured that he would be standing for reelection in next year's federal vote as the candidate for his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), despite weak poll ratings and a recent survey that showed just one third of SPD members wanted him as their candidate.
Asked if like Biden, he might consider renouncing his bid for reelection, Scholz joked: "Thank you for the very nice and friendly question."