Donald Trump demands Merkel pays Nato and America more for the 'very expensive defence' provided to her country
President Donald Trump defended his chilly summit with Angela Merkel on Twitter Saturday morning, insisting it was a 'great meeting' despite many reports to the contrary
Immediately after insisting the summit went great, the mogul immediately went on to blast Germany for owing what he called 'vast sums of money' to NATO
President Donald Trump defended his chilly summit with Angela Merkel on Twitter Saturday, insisting it was a 'great meeting' - and immediately blasting Germany for owing what he said were 'vast sums of money' to NATO.
He claimed that all reports criticizing their meeting were 'fake news' - the day after giving the German chancellor a lecture on immigration but no Oval Office handshake or warm words about her country.
'Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel,' Trump tweeted Saturday morning.
'Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!'
The mogul had his chilliest summit yet with a foreign leader as he met with the German chancellor for the first time Friday.
Trump has long lamented the the US is getting what he has painted as an unfair deal with NATO.
Only five out of the alliance's 28 countries currently meet their targets for payment: the US, the UK, Estonia, Poland and Greece.
Germany spent 1.19 per cent of its GDP last year on defense, as previously reported by CNN, and is one of several major economies lagging behind on their contributions.
Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort, earned unfavorable words from the German press after his meeting with Merkel, with Der Spiegel calling him 'an unsophisticated yet self-absorbed political neophyte' in comparison to the 'experienced' chancellor.
Tabloid Bild carried a picture of the world leaders sitting awkwardly next to each other, while also pointing out how 'unusual' it was that Merkel found herself seated next to Trump's daughter Ivanka - who has no official role in the administration.
It said the German leader appeared 'irritated'.
Weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, which previously ran a controversial cartoon of Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty, also picked up on the awkwardness between the two leaders, declaring that 'Merkel and Trump do not work'.
'There are two politicians who could hardly be more contradictory', the news magazine added.
Other newspapers pointed out that Merkel was having to navigate the fact that many of her citizens are hostile to the American president, and the chancellor - who is facing a stiff fight to hold onto her job in the upcoming elections - may not want to seem too warm towards Trump.
'A vast majority of the German public isn't well-inclined towards Trump,' said Süddeutsche Zeitung. 'A lot of people of people will watch closely how Merkel conducts herself.'
'Finding the right measure of warmth and distance won't be easy,' Der Spiegel added.
President Trump had his chilliest summit yet with a foreign leader as he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday for the first time
He claimed that all reports criticizing their meeting were 'fake news' - the day after giving the German chancellor a lecture on immigration but no Oval Office handshake or warm words about her country.
'Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel,' Trump tweeted Saturday morning.
'Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!'
The mogul had his chilliest summit yet with a foreign leader as he met with the German chancellor for the first time Friday.
Trump has long lamented the the US is getting what he has painted as an unfair deal with NATO.
Only five out of the alliance's 28 countries currently meet their targets for payment: the US, the UK, Estonia, Poland and Greece.
Germany spent 1.19 per cent of its GDP last year on defense, as previously reported by CNN, and is one of several major economies lagging behind on their contributions.
Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort, earned unfavorable words from the German press after his meeting with Merkel, with Der Spiegel calling him 'an unsophisticated yet self-absorbed political neophyte' in comparison to the 'experienced' chancellor.
Tabloid Bild carried a picture of the world leaders sitting awkwardly next to each other, while also pointing out how 'unusual' it was that Merkel found herself seated next to Trump's daughter Ivanka - who has no official role in the administration.
It said the German leader appeared 'irritated'.
Weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, which previously ran a controversial cartoon of Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty, also picked up on the awkwardness between the two leaders, declaring that 'Merkel and Trump do not work'.
'There are two politicians who could hardly be more contradictory', the news magazine added.
Other newspapers pointed out that Merkel was having to navigate the fact that many of her citizens are hostile to the American president, and the chancellor - who is facing a stiff fight to hold onto her job in the upcoming elections - may not want to seem too warm towards Trump.
'A vast majority of the German public isn't well-inclined towards Trump,' said Süddeutsche Zeitung. 'A lot of people of people will watch closely how Merkel conducts herself.'
'Finding the right measure of warmth and distance won't be easy,' Der Spiegel added.
President Trump had his chilliest summit yet with a foreign leader as he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday for the first time
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