White House Meeting on Thursday: Trump Hosts Merz

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Meet US President Donald Trump in Washington

Berlin - Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU will travel to Washington this evening for his first meeting with US President Donald Trump since assuming office on Thursday. The itinerary includes a conversation at the White House, a joint lunch, and a subsequent press conference, as announced by government spokesman Stefan Kornelius in Berlin.

This will mark their first encounter since Merz was sworn in on May 6. Their previous encounter was brief in New York years ago. Merz will depart for Washington following a dinner with the minister-presidents of the states in Berlin. In Berlin, he will be represented at the minister-presidents conference on Thursday by Chancellor's Office Chief Thorsten Frei.

Trump will accommodate Merz at the Blair House, the President's guest house adjacent to the White House - a special honor. The discussions in Washington are anticipated to concentrate on ceasefire efforts in the Ukraine conflict, NATO's response to escalating external threats, and the trade row between the US and the EU. However, the primary focus is expected to be on establishing a beneficial rapport between the two leaders.

In recent weeks, Merz and Trump have communicated by phone several times, once individually and later in larger groups with various European heads of state and government, to discuss Ukraine conflict resolution. Merz now possesses Trump's personal phone number and exchanges messages with him via text. Since their last call, the two have started addressing each other by their first names, Friedrich, and Donald.

On Wednesday, Trump stated that within the following two weeks, it would become apparent whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is "leading us by the nose" or not. If so, he suggested that they would respond differently. Trump has hesitated to impose new sanctions on Russia due to the possibility of jeopardizing negotiations if he thinks he is close to a deal. It remains uncertain whether there will be new talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine prior to the meeting between Merz and Trump.

A solution to the trade dispute with the US is another key topic on the agenda. However, the EU Commission is handling these negotiations. As the head of the strongest economic power in Europe, Merz can cultivate trust and provide inspiration, although he will not intervene in the specifics. The deadline for the originally threatened 50 percent tariffs by Trump has been extended to July 9.

At subsequent June's NATO summit in Brussels, the heads of state and government of the defense alliance will discuss defense spending. Trump has demanded that alliance partners contribute 5 percent of their GDP. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has replied with a compromise formula: 3.5 percent for the military and 1.5 percent for infrastructure such as roads or harbors that could be relevant for defense. Merz has supported this proposal.

In recent weeks, Merz has taken several steps to demonstrate cooperation with the US. However, he reacts irritably to one issue. He finds the critical remarks by US Vice President JD Vance, who accused European allies of endangering democracy at the Munich Security Conference, "invasive." He also declined criticism from the US government regarding the German domestic intelligence agency's classification of the AfD as a far-right extremist party. "That's our business. We decide that, not an American government," he remarked. Whether this issue will be addressed during his visit to Washington remains to be seen.

Since his inauguration in January, Trump has hosted numerous heads of state and government, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Two visits, however, stand out: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were publicly showcased in the Oval Office by the US President.

Merz remains composed in response to this. "I don't need valerian to remain calm and engage in a rational conversation with the American President," he recently remarked on ZDF. The Chancellor has prepared diligently for the meeting, having consulted with various heads of state and government who have already met with Trump, including Zelenskyy, Ramaphosa, Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. He plans to approach the conversation with a positive outlook: "We will discuss shared interests. There are differences, but there are also many similarities, and that's what we'll talk about," he remarked on ZDF.

The discussions between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump will likely focus on establishing a beneficial rapport, with a key area of discussion being the Ukraine conflict and NATO's response to escalating external threats.
In recent weeks, Merz has communicated with Trump via phone and even exchanges messages with him via text, including addressing each other by their first names.
Migration, war-and-conflicts, and crime-and-justice are potential topics that might come up in the conversation, given Trump's previous inclination to discuss these issues.
A solution to the trade dispute with the US and defense spending cuts in NATO are key topics on the agenda for the upcoming meeting, which follows Merz's recent efforts to demonstrate cooperation with the US.
In the realm of policy-and-legislation, Merz has taken a firm stance on domestic matters, such as rejecting the critical remarks by US officials regarding the classification of the AfD as a far-right extremist party in Germany. Accidents, fires, and general-news issues may not be explicitly addressed in the meeting, but they are ongoing concerns in both countries.