Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump welcomed newly minted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the Oval Office on Thursday, speaking highly of the European country and looking positively toward a potential trade deal between the U.S. and Germany.
Trump told Merz that the 2024 presidential election was a “very good run,” noting how he won all seven swing states, along with the popular vote, describing it as a “mandate from the people.”
“And part of our mandate is we’re going to have a great relationship with your country,” Trump said.
Merz thanked Trump for his kindness and hospitality in inviting him to the White House.
“I’m very happy to be here again and to offer our close cooperation with the United States America,” he said. “We have so much in common, our history, we owe the Americans a lot – we will never forget about them.”
President Trump said he was very glad to meet Merz on Thursday, joking that he was “difficult,” but noted that it was better than telling the press Merz was “easy.”
“He’s a very great representative of Germany,” Trump remarked.
When asked by the press what he hoped to accomplished in terms of his meeting with the German chancellor on Thursday, Trump expressed his hopes that a trade deal could be hammered out.
“We’ll have a good trade deal,” he said, noting that such a deal would be largely affected by the actions of the European Union, in which Germany has considerable clout.
However, if a trade agreement is not reached, Trump suggested that he would be willing to use tariffs.
He also spoke about Germany’s boosted defense spending, and answered a question on whether he thought the country was doing enough on that front.
“I haven’t discussed it very much, I know you’re spending more money on defense now,” Trump said.
He recalled a warning issued by late American General Douglas MacArthur to “never let Germany rearm” in the wake of World War II.
“I think it’s a good thing…at least to a certain point,” Trump said.