Merz visits Trump: friendly encounter
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wanted to establish a good connection with US President Donald Trump during his visit to the White House - and appears to have succeeded.
Washington (dpa/d.de) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that he was extremely satisfied following his inaugural visit to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. He said that he saw a good basis for upcoming international summit meetings. “I am returning home with the feeling that we have a solid basis for discussions between the American president and the German chancellor,” Merz told German public service broadcaster ZDF. He added that the two leaders would soon see one another again at the G7 summit in Canada and then at the NATO summit in The Hague.
At a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump described Merz as a “respected” and “good man” and promised: “We’re going to have a great relationship with your country.” The US president also praised Germany’s willingness to invest more in defence in future.
Merz made references among other things to Trump’s German ancestors and said: “We have so much in common in our history. We have a lot to thank Americans for, and we will never forget that.” Furthermore, Merz stressed the responsibility both countries have to do everything possible to end the Ukraine war as quickly as possible.
According to Merz, Trump accepted the invitation to visit Germany in the near future: “He will come to Germany. We are now looking at dates.”