Trump to raise Nato pressure on Merkel in ‘make or break’ talks

couraged Europeans to look commitments as well.”

The two leaders will also discuss the global economy, the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), and ties with Russia and China, laying the groundwork for Mr Trump’s visit to Germany in July for a gathering of G20 leaders.

In anticipation of potential friction, Mrs Merkel’s visit will take place midweek and with less fanfare than past visits from Shinzo Abe, the Japanese leader, and Theresa May.

Mr Abe was invited to play a round of golf over the weekend at Mr Trump’s resort in Florida, while the president is said to have referred to Mrs May as “my Maggie”.

But Mrs Merkel has already clashed with the US president, who called her open-door refugee policy “insane”.

On the German side, there have been deep concerns about Mr Trump’s commitment to the future of Nato, and his plan to ban citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US.

Prof Anthony Glees, an expert in German politics at the University of Buckingham, said the White House visit would be “make or break” for Mrs Merkel.

“So far Mrs Merkel’s attitude towards Trump has been seen as passive aggressive, Mr Trump’s attitude towards Mrs Merkel as active aggressive,” he said. “They must cordially agree to disagree on past actions and past words, at increased to work together. If anything goes wrong the consequences could be devastating both in terms of Germany’s domestic politics and the weakness of the West in the face of Russian advances. “In short, the stakes could hardly be higher.”

Peter Navarro, Mr Trump’s trade adviser, suggested there would also be very direct talks about the trade deficit.

The $65 billion US trade deficit with Germany was “one of the most difficult” trade issues facing Mr Trump, he said, and bilateral discussions were needed to reduce it outside European Union restrictions.

Mr Navarro, director of the new White House National Trade Council, added: “It’s a serious issue. Germany is one of the most difficult trade deficits that we’re going to have to deal with but we’re thinking long and hard about that.”

The US is Germany’s biggest destination for exports but Mr Trump has warned his administration may impose a 35 per cent tax on cars BMW intends to make at a new plant in Mexico for sale in the US.

Last week, Juergen Hardt, Germany’s co-ordinator for transatlantic policies, said: “Does the American president want to force Americans to stop buying German cars in the future?

“If the United States wants to become truly ‘great’ again then it should stand up to the global competition and not allow it to be weakened through isolation. That’s actually an economic truism which one needs to remind some people in Washington about.”

During the election Mr Trump let loose on Mrs Merkel, accusing her of “ruining” Germany with her refugee policy. In January he told that Mrs Merkel had made a “catastrophic” error on migration.

Mrs Merkel, who had a warm relationship with Mr Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, has in turn been critical of Mr Trump’s travel ban and his comments about the media.

In an attempt to build bridges, the White House arranged for Mrs Merkel to meet Mike Pence, the US vice-president, two weeks ago at a security conference in Munich.

“There will be huge pressure from Mr Trump’s backroom guys to chum up to Frau Merkel,” said Prof Glees. “America needs a big friend in the EU and Britain, for obvious reasons, can’t be that friend any longer.”