Don-ke schoen!
Trump hosts Merkel
President Trump welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House on Friday for a visit of less than three hours — and the two discussed trade, the Iran nuclear deal and terrorism.
Trump greeted Merkel outside the West Wing with a handshake and a kiss on each cheek, a traditional welcome but far short of the extravagant display of warmth seen earlier in the week during French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day state visit.
In brief remarks alongside Merkel in the Oval Office, Trump called her an “extraordinary woman,” congratulated her on her recent re-election and disputed any idea that their relationship was frosty.
“We have a really great relationship,” the president said. “We actually have had a great relationship from the beginning.”
Later, in a brief joint news conference, a stone-faced Merkel echoed Macron’s support for the Iran nuke deal but, like the French president, said it was a solid start that could be improved to address US and NATO concerns.
Trump wouldn’t reveal whether he still plans to pull out of the deal next month but issued an ominous warning to Tehran.
“They’re not going to be doing nuclear weapons, you can bank on it,” he said.
Trump complained again about the trade imbalance between the US and the European Union, something Merkel said the two countries could work to improve.
“We need a reciprocal relationship, which we don’t have,” Trump said. “We’re working on it, and we want to make it more fair and the chancellor wants to make it more fair.”
Asked about Trump’s proposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, and whether the EU would be exempt, the German chancellor frostily replied: “We had an exchange of views. The decision lies with the president.”
It was apparent that despite back-to-back state visits, Trump’s divisions with Europe are still substantial.
Trump scolded Germany for not meeting its defense-spending obligations to NATO, saying it was “essential that our NATO allies increase their financial contribution” to the pact.
Merkel said Germany’s latest budget will take defense spending to 1.3 percent of its gross domestic product. She acknowledged that was far short of the 2 percent goal but said Germany was still aiming to reach that mark.