German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, meaning their first face-to-face discussions could be tense.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, meaning their first face-to-face discussions could be tense.
But the leaders put on a diplomatic smile for the cameras as they met at the White House.
It is a hotly anticipated meeting on both sides of the pond, as it could determine the course of the transatlantic alliance and shape the working relationship between two of the world’s most powerful leaders.
Europe will be especially keen to see what tone Merkel will take in a press conference alongside Trump later on Friday. You can watch it live on euronews – expected at 18h30 CET it has been delayed.
The first test of the couple’s power dynamic came in the Oval Office when Trump apparently refused to shake Merkel’s hand at the behest of photographers.
President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Oval Office pic.twitter.com/BiAlHdv2YP
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 17, 2017
Ahead of the press conference, a White House official said that Trump pushed Merkel ‘hard’ about Nato dues. The US president wants Berlin to boost its defence spending.