Chatting with Trump: Olaf Scholz Heads to Washington on Thursday
Trump and Merz scheduled to meet President Trump in Washington on Thursday - Trump and Merz conduct a meeting in Washington on Thursday
Get ready for a showdown! Olaf Scholz, our man in power, is meeting up with none other than Donald Trump on Thursday. This will mark their first face-to-face encounter since Scholz took the Chancellor gig. And guess where he'll be crashing? Why, at the Blair House, just a stone's throw away from the illustrious White House!
Before Scholz, only German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) got to chat with Trump, having a sit-down with Marco Rubio back in May. What were they discussing, you ask? Well, according to rumors, it had to do with the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Remember the crisis that flared up in early 2022? Trump promised to end it pronto when he was running for office. Diplomatic efforts have been at a whirlwind lately, and just last month, representatives from Russia and Ukraine had a powwow in Istanbul. Unfortunately, despite the first direct meeting between the two sides in three months, they came up empty-handed when it came to reaching a truce.
Scholz visits Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three weeks ago alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He's been pushing for a collaborative approach between the Europeans and the U.S. in finding a solution to that Ukraine mess.
Another burning issue is Trump's hard-hitting trade policy, which he's been wielding like a sledgehammer since he began his second term in January. It's been causing havoc with global supply chains and stock markets left and right.
Last week, Trump threatened to slap a 50% tax on EU goods, but he backed off. On Friday, Trump announced he'd double the import tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%, effectivenext Wednesday.
Transatlantic Coordinator Metin Hakverdi is hoping this first meeting between Scholz and Trump will help them establish a solid connection. "It would be swell if Scholz and Trump could bond during this initial meeting," Hakverdi told the "Tagesspiegel" (Sunday edition).
But Hakverdi stressed that we shouldn't expect fireworks. "Trump's just too unpredictable," he said. Hakverdi thinks Scholz might be able to sway Trump towards a joint peace initiative for Ukraine.
Now, there's no goss on a meeting with President Joe Biden, but with all that's been going down, it's clear that these two powerhouses have plenty to discuss when they finally cross paths!
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- The upcoming meeting between Olaf Scholz, the President of Germany, and Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on Thursday in Washington, DC, could be pivotal for the ongoing Ukraine crisis, as both leaders have shown interest in finding a solution.
- The issue of migration, being a hot topic in politics, policy-and-legislation, and general news, may also be discussed during the meeting between Scholz and Trump, as Trump's hard-hitting trade policy has caused havoc with global supply chains and stock markets.
- The President of Germany, Olaf Scholz, might use the meeting with Donald Trump to discuss the intertwining of war-and-conflicts, such as the Ukraine crisis, and politics, with the aim of establishing a joint peace initiative and forging a solid connection with the Federal Government of the United States.
