BERLIN — For the second time in 10 days, Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday was seen shaking at a public event and struggling to maintain control of her body as her limbs trembled visibly. And for the second time in 10 days, Germany largely did not discuss it.
Her spokesman insisted she was well. German news outlets reported both episodes, but then quickly moved on, even though Ms. Merkel is widely seen as the most important leader in Europe and one of the most powerful politicians in the world.
One reason for the muted response at home could be rooted in Germans’ notoriously fierce protection of their own private lives, said Sudha David-Wilp, a senior trans-Atlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund in Berlin. Such protectiveness extends to their leaders, she said.
“Also, they trust Merkel, and if she says she’s O.K.,” Ms. David-Wilp added, “they are going to take that at face value and give her the benefit of the doubt.”
Video shared widely on social media on Thursday showed the chancellor standing beside the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, clasping her elbows as her legs trembled for about two minutes.
An aide approached Ms. Merkel, 64, offering her a glass of water, which she declined with a shake of her head. She appeared to regain steadiness as she left the ceremony at the presidential palace for Justice Minister Katarina Barley, who is leaving to become a lawmaker in the European Parliament.
The day before, temperatures in Berlin had risen to record highs, leading the Berlin Fire Brigade to remind people to drink enough fluids to avoid dehydration.
Although the chancellor has a history of experiencing dehydration, her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, did not address any particular reason for the shaking on Thursday and said she was fine. He said that Ms. Merkel would continue her planned schedule for the day.
“Everything is continuing as planned; the chancellor is doing well,” Mr. Seibert said.
Ms. Merkel’s began shaking in a similar manner on June 18, as she stood in the midday sun during a state visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, while the military band played both countries’ national anthems.
Afterward, the chancellor suggested that the high temperatures had been to blame, and she said she felt better after drinking water. Later that afternoon, she took part in a news conference where she appeared calm and fielded questions normally.
She told reporters, “I’ve drunk at least three glasses of water, and so I’m doing fine.”
Ms. Merkel has exhibited a reaction to dehydration before. In 2014, there were concerns about her health when she interrupted a television interview after suffering a drop in blood pressure. She recovered after having something to drink and eat.
She also appeared to experience a similar onset of trembling in 2017 while in Mexico City for a state visit. That was also attributed to dehydration because of the hot, humid weather.
Later on Thursday, the chancellor appeared to be back to strength when she attended the swearing in of her new justice minister, Christine Lambrecht, in the Reichstag, where the German Parliament convenes.
Ms. Merkel then boarded a government plane and departed for Japan to attend the Group of 20 summit meeting. A doctor from the German Foreign Ministry normally accompanies the chancellor on trips abroad.
After she leaves Japan, Ms. Merkel will head to Brussels on Sunday for a European Union meeting, where she is expected to play a major role in trying to reach a deal on the distribution of the bloc’s top jobs for the next five years.
When asked on Thursday whether he was concerned about the chancellor, her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, declined to comment on Ms. Merkel’s condition, pointing to the dangers of unfounded speculation, which he said could be rooted in malicious intent.
“I have never taken part in remote diagnoses, because I myself have all too often been the target of such a diagnosis,” Mr. Seehofer told reporters.