Trump thanks Merkel for her efforts to settle Donbas conflict

“That leads you to believe it’s a lot of talk”, said Walsh. In January, when the U.S. president implemented a short-lived ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations and on all refugees, Mrs Merkel’s spokesperson said she had to explain the Geneva Convention to Mr Trump in a phone call.

“The negotiators for Germany have done a far better job than the negotiators for the United States”, Trump told reporters in the East Room alongside Merkel Friday. USA exports to Germany totaled $49 billion.

Mattes also points out that America had its greatest period of growth during a trade deficit with Germany that’s lasted 35 years.

“Trump’s comments misrepresent the way North Atlantic Treaty Organisation functions”, Daalder told us. He also lashed out at “Time” magazine when it named Mrs Merkel “Person of the Year” in 2015 instead of him.

The kudos for the German leader came at the expense of US lawmakers, whom Trump was criticizing for financially supporting the Ukrainian government in its fight against Russian-supporting separatists. “She’s fantastic … highly respected”.

“And our free trade has led to a lot of bad things happening”, he continued. But she is facing serious re-election challenge in September, and she is taking this position because she is anxious about the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party which is clearly eating into her support…

“These nations must pay what they owe”, he said Friday. These concerns are likely to pervade the discussion between Trump and Merkel. Does Merkel’s changing rhetoric have something to do with the upcoming elections in Germany? “Crime has risen to levels that no one thought would they would ever see”, Trump said.

While Trump called himself “Mr. Brexit”, Merkel, as the longtime leader of the continent’s most powerful country, is the European Union’s staunchest defender. But they sought common ground, they said, on trade that benefits both their citizens. In contrast, she openly praised Trump’s predecessor. He said he expected the United States to do “fantastically well” in trade with Germany. But the NSA said Obama wasn’t aware of it. Merkel looked in Trump’s direction.

In a letter to Trump the day after the November election, Merkel started by congratulating him and finished by wishing him “a sure hand, [and] every success”.

Trump says that both countries must protect themselves from the threat.

The visit was a tightrope walk for the German chancellor, between building an effective partnership built on strong economic and security cooperation – especially in the context of Russia’s new-found bullishness – and representing her values and those of the German people.

Trump spent a good part of 2016 bashing the chancellor, accusing her of “ruining” Germany for allowing an influx of refugees into Germany.

Mr Trump earlier greeted the long-serving stateswoman at the White House with a handshake before they began talks in the Oval Office. Merkel and her government have rejected those accusations as absurd.

In March 2017, Trump placed a temporary ban on refugees from six predominantly Muslim countries.

On the campaign trail, Trump stressed this difference in beliefs in harsh terms, once saying, “The German people are going to end up overthrowing this woman”.

Trump’s comments came at the end of a rather awkward bilateral press conference between the US and one of its closest global allies, after Trump routinely mocked Merkel throughout the presidential campaign.