A tamer Trump flatters Merz in the Oval Office

Inaugural visit to Washington

A tamer Trump flatters Merz in the Oval Office

Meeting with US President Trump in the Oval Office are unpredictable. The new Chancellor is sample. It is still open whether it will be the beginning of a big friendship.

US President Donald Trump surprisingly greeted Chancellor Friedrich Merz when he visited his inaugural visit to the White House. He described the CDU politician in his office, the Oval Office, as “respected” and “good man” and promised: “We will have a great relationship with her country”.

There was even praise for the German efforts in the defense area, which were previously sharply criticized by Trump. And the allegations of high-ranking representatives of the US government, Germany, restricted freedom of expression and border from parties such as the AfD was not discussed. Merz was prepared to reject them.

Most of the questions in the Oval Office went to Trump, Merz was sitting next to it most of the time and avoided driving the US president into the parade. “We have so many similarities in our history. We owe a lot to the Americans, we will never forget that,” he said, also dealing with its German origin.

He also brought a gift, framed in gold and quite large: the copy of a historical birth certificate from Trump’s grandfather Friedrich, who was born in Kallstadt in the Palatinate in 1869 and later emigrated to the USA. Merz presented the souvenir right from the start. “It’s beautiful,” replied Trump. “We’ll hang that.”

Trump was friendly at the encounter, made Merz compliments for his good English and largely clung possible controversial topics. In the important topics of the meeting – such as Ukraine and defense spending – he struck conciliatory tones.

The Chancellor won “a great choice”, said the Republican. Merz was “difficult,” Trump joked, but he was a great representative of Germany. The otherwise aggressive US president, who often reports with provocations or derogatory comments on his counterpart, presented himself particularly tame.

With a view of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, he said in one place: “I am not friends with anyone.” Then he turned to Merz with a gesture and added: “We are friends.”

For the CDU politician, the visit to Trump was also a test at the start of his chancellery. The US President has hit other guests violently in encounters in the Oval Office in recent months. For the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, the meeting there became deep humiliation at the end of February at the end of February, which still has an impact on today. The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also demonstrated Trump at a meeting in his office and tried to emphasize his accusation of a “genocide” of white farmers with a video.

That is why Merz also came with modest expectations: getting to know each other, getting a feel for how the counterpart ticks, and at best build a wire to the most powerful man in the world. So far, French President Emmanuel Macron or the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have been the main contact in Europe for Trump. Now Merz wants to slip into a leadership role. Its telephone number should ideally become that of Europe.

It was initially open whether Trump will return to Merz. Merz had already invited him to Germany in her first phone call. The president did not comment on whether he wanted to accept the invitation – at least not in front of the cameras.

In Kallstadt in Germany, Trump’s grandfather grew up – like Merz a Friedrich – before he went to the USA in 1885. Among other things, he worked as a hairdresser, became an American citizen in 1892 and called himself Frederick. When he wanted to return to Kallstadt, the authorities there refused to do so. He did not properly deregistered on his departure in 1885, it said. The fact that there is currently a ban on entering Germany in Trump’s family history, which is currently having a hard deportation policy and entry restrictions, an entry ban to Germany.

At the press, Vice President JD Vance and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio were also on the side of the President – those government members who most recently accused Germany and other European allies on circumcision of freedom of expression and the exclusion of parties such as the AfD. Before visiting Washington, Merz had made it clear that he considered the criticism from the USA to be “attacking”.