Chilling in the White House: Three Point Agenda Merz Needs to Persuade Trump on
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By V. Petersen
Get ready for a showdown - on Thursday night, German time, Chancellor Friedrich Merz will touch down in Washington, staring down the barrel of a contentious encounter with President Donald Trump. This high-stakes meeting might just be the most significant of Merz's chancellorship and possibly the entire year. Three hot topics will dominate the discussion.
The tension is palpable - as Merz boards his plane for Washington on Thursday evening, he's bracing for a tough mission. Awaiting him at the White House is President Trump. What was once a friendly visit has morphed into a brutal obstacle course.
Politics
US Mediation Unlikely: Putin and Selenskyj Summit Won't Happen Anytime SoonThese diplomatic jaunts can go sideways. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj was essentially given the cold shoulder and kicked to the curb. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had to endure a barrage of racist rhetoric against white folks. And Germany is one of Trump's favorite whipping boys. Keywords: German cars, defense, freedom of speech restrictions. Germany is always the target. We'll see if Trump spares Merz the third degree—but with his vice, JD Vance, openly backing the AfD, it's doubtful.
Moreover, this trip is crucial. If Merz manages to make a connection with Trump, it could help on at least three major issues: Ukraine, trade, and joint defense within NATO.
Ukraine and Restrictions
Merz stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine and would like Trump to do the same. But Trump isn't keen, preferring to act as a mediator instead. He dreams of brokering peace and sweeping the problem under the rug. Rumor has it he's eyeing the Nobel Peace Prize.
Politics
Peace Nowhere in Sight: Trump After Call with PutinMerz aims to persuade Trump to impose joint sanctions. For Trump, that would be a giant leap—he'd have to abandon his mediator role. At all costs, he doesn't want to be dragged into a conflict. Although the sanctions imposed by his predecessor, Joe Biden, are still in effect, and the US is continuing to arm Ukraine, Trump hasn't taken the reins on this yet.
Merz is finding his moment. After Russia's massive airstrikes, Trump went public with his disappointment with Putin. Just recently, he said after a long phone call with Putin that peace isn't on the horizon. While the Senate is pressing for more sanctions, the idea came from Republican Lindsey Graham, who visited Berlin on Monday and chatted with Merz. Graham told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" that Merz should thank Trump for lifting sanctions against Syria. He should show how Germany will up its game and that Europe is ready to suffer.
Trade and Tariffs
Trump does what feels right—he seems to have no fixed convictions. Except when it comes to tariffs. He appears firmly wedded to them. For decades, he's been clamoring for them. Primarily, it's about China. But the EU is hot on China's heels. Trump thinks the EU was made to take advantage of the US. This is bunk—the EU was founded to foster intra-European trade and peace.
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Trump believes there's a massive trade deficit between the USA and the EU, but he overlooks services. American corporations like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (Google, YouTube), and Apple rake in billions and billions in Europe through online services—sums that Trump's calculations don't account for.
Moreover, he thinks the value-added tax is a tariff. As recently explained by CDU foreign policy expert Jürgen Hardt in the Bundestag, it isn't. Like any input tax, it can be deducted from the tax burden, he stated. Merz will need to try and pry Trump's teeth on this. He'll argue for reducing tariffs, ideally to zero—proposing a win-win situation. Otherwise, China could gain ground in Europe. His party colleague Norbert Röttgen recently warned about this in the Bundestag.
Steps towards an agreement appear feasible. In the USA, Trump is battling legal problems. A court has ruled his tariffs illegal. They remain in effect until a final legal decision is made. Trump could present a new trade agreement with the EU as a victory, which could also crank up the heat on China.
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But nothing is set in stone. Initially, Trump's goal was to bring entire industries back to the USA with tariffs. To achieve this, tariffs would need to stay in place. Merz has solid arguments, but whether they'll resonate with Trump is anybody's guess.
Defense and NATO
According to Trump, Europeans are being defended by Americans while they kick back and relax. For him, NATO isn't a collective alliance for freedom and peace, but a US service to Europeans—and he thinks they're late payers. The criticism that Europeans, especially Germans, contribute too little to NATO isn't off-base. Many German experts agree in principle.
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Trump openly threatens to bail on NATO, which would mean its end. Troops, tanks, and aircraft could probably be replaced somehow, but not the nuclear umbrella. If the USA doesn't offer European security through their atomic rockets, Europe would be vulnerable to Putin's threats. This would represent the worst-case scenario for German foreign policy, but it's also not in the USA's interest.
At least, Merz has good news for Trump. Germany will significantly ramp up its defense spending. The target is now not two percent, but five percent of GDP. However, this is essentially a fudged number. Actually, it's about 3.5 percent for defense and 1.5 percent for infrastructure that could be valuable in case of defense. This could translate to bridge construction, and there's a chance to spin that as a defense investment. Nevertheless, Merz has strong cards. German defense spending will soar, which is exactly what Trump has been demanding. This is something Trump can peddle as his achievement.
Source: ntv.de
- Friedrich Merz
- USA
- Donald Trump
- Ukraine
- Sanctions
- Trade conflicts
- Tariffs
- NATO
- The upcoming meeting between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Donald Trump is crucial, particularly regarding Ukraine, trade, and joint defense within NATO, as Merz aims to persuade Trump to impose joint sanctions against Ukraine's adversaries, reduce tariffs, and discuss defense spending within NATO.
- The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will attempt to convince President Trump that Germany stands with Ukraine and should impose joint sanctions, reduce tariffs, and significantly increase defense spending within NATO, while Trump may be hesitant due to his preference for mediator roles and concerns about being dragged into conflicts.
