TRUMP’S US-FIRST TEUTORIAL

Angela Merkel’s attacks on President Trump make her an instant favorite in anti-Trump precincts, but making the case for the German chancellor on the merits isn’t so easy.

Would, for example, the NeverTrumpers dare say that Merkel is right to refuse to pay the required 2 percent of its GDP for its own defense and NATO?

Would they dare say that Trump is wrong when he argues that the US trade deficit with Germany, $67.8 billion at last counting, is bad for US workers?

And do they really want the president to cede America’s big decisions, such as on the climate pact and the Iran deal, to foreign governments and the United Nations?

Germany’s pique over Trump happens to coincide with Merkel’s bid for re-election.

She’s running largely as a status quo candidate, with the European Union and NATO helping Germany, while much of the burdens are borne by others. America is one of the others.

The Brexit vote was a consequence of Merkel’s European leadership. The millions of unvetted Mideast refugees and migrants she let into Europe is another part of her legacy.

Trump was elected to represent the United States, especially its workers, and not the blob of “international partners” so beloved by the former president and elitists everywhere.

If delivering on his promises to Americans upsets Germany and other Eurocrats, so be it.

This is what change looks like.