Germany's Merz 'extremely satisfied' with Trump talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called the sharp rise in antisemitism in Germany a "terrible challenge" for the country. 

"We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down," he said during an interview on US broadcaster Fox News. 

The number of antisemitic incidents in Germany almost doubled in 2024, a report released on Wednesday found.

It registered 8,627 incidents of violence, vandalism and threats against Jews in Germany. 

In the Fox News interview, Merz blamed the increasing antisemitism on migrants. 

"Frankly, we have imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years," he said.

According to Wednesday's report, antisemitic attacks came from all parts of society — from the radical left, Muslim communities and the far right.

The report found that antisemitic incidents with a right-wing extremist background reached their highest level since it started colleting data in 2020. 

Merz has used the rhetoric of "imported antisemitism" before, something critics say fuels Islamaphobia and enables Germany to ignore the growing problem of antisemitism within its society.

German Chancellor Merz is doing the rounds of US media after his talks with President Trump. 

In his interviews, he's been pushing the message that tariffs are bad for Germany, the US and others. 

The trade conflict "threatens all of us," he told CNN late on Thursday. 

He repeated this on Fox News, saying Trump's tariffs "are threatening" Germany's economy. 

"We should bring them down," he said, adding that he believes "free trade, open markets is the best thing for [the] mutual wealth of our countries and our continents." 

Germany sells more cars to the US than any other EU country. 

Germany's automotive industry is a key pillar of the country's economy and a major employer. It was already struggling before Trump slapped 25% tariffs on foreign-made cars sold in the US, making the situation worse.

The impact of the car tariffs is "terrible," Merz told CNN.

Tariffs were the other big topic that the German chancellor discussed with President Trump. 

Speaking to DW, Merz said that "high tariffs is not in our [Europe's] interest."

Trump has backed away from a threat to imposed 50% tariffs on imports from the European Union, giving it until July 9 to make a deal. 

A 10% tariff on EU imports is place until the July deadline, with the exception of cars, which have a 25% tariff, and steel and aluminum which saw a doubling of the tariff to 50% on Wednesday .

"I'm trying to convince the US government, especially the president, that we should come to a solution. But this will take a while," Merz told DW. 

"This is my takeaway from today: [Trump] is really willing to have an agreement on trade and if we could achieve that within a foreseeable period of time, we would have achieved much more than former governments on both sides of the Atlantic did," Merz told DW. 

"So this is a real great opportunity."

German Chancellor Merz said that in his meeting with Donald Trump, he reminded the US President that the two countries were "now together in the duty to put more pressure" on Russia to end its war in Ukraine. 

Speaking to DW shortly after his talk with Trump, Merz said that he also reminded Trump that "America always was in charge globally to put pressure on those who are going to war."

Merz referenced D-Day, a historic event from World War II when American, British and Canadian Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France. 

D-Day marked the first step in the Allied liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany. 

"It's the 6th of June tomorrow [Friday], so-called D-Day when the Americans invaded Europe to stop the war in Europe in 1944. This could be a similar historic situation, not with military actions, but with pressure on Russia to end this war," Merz said.  

Asked whether he thought his reminder of the US' historic role would make a difference, Merz said he was "optimistic."

"But I'm not so optimistic to predict that this will now change overnight something on the territory of Ukraine."

After meeting with US President Trump in Washington, German Chancellor Merz said Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Germany.

Merz said that teams from the United States and Germany were already working on a date.

"We understood each other on a personal level. … We feel that we can talk with Trump very well," Merz said.

After having lunch with US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told journalists that they had a very good meeting and a good understanding of each other.

"I'm returning with the feeling that I've found in the American president someone I can speak with very well on a personal level," he said. "We have a lot in common, even in the different career paths we've taken between politics. That creates a certain bond."

Merz added that this meeting laid the groundwork for future talks with Trump at the G7 and NATO summits.

"We wanted to work closely together on economic terms between Germany and the US," he added.

He also compared the D-Day invasion during World War II to the war in Europe between Russia and Ukraine, reminding Trump of the role America had in ending tyranny in Europe

"We agree who started this war: Russia," Merz said. 

Trump on more than one occasion has accused Ukraine of starting the war Russia launched in February 2022. 

Overall, the German chancellor said that he was extremely "satisfied" with his visit to Washington.

"We will be intensifying the discussions. I am extraordinarily happy with the meeting we had. It was a good talk," he said.

At the beginning of the bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented US President Donald Trump with a gold-framed copy of the historic birth certificate of the president's grandfather, Friedrich.

Friedrich Trump was born in 1869 in Kallstadt in the Palatinate region and later emigrated to the United States

Merz explained in English that his grandfather was born near the town of Bad Dürkheim.

Trump commented on the place name, repeating it and saying, "That's serious German." He expressed his delight with the gift, saying, "Fantastic!" Glancing around the Oval Office searchingly, he promised to hang it somewhere, which caused laughter.

The birth of Trump's grandfather was certified by Bavarian authorities, because the Palatinate region was part of the Kingdom of Bavaria at the time. 

In a video posted on X, Merz explained that the Foreign Ministry had prepared the gift, which included an English translation. "Truly sensational!" he added in German.

The first meeting between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House struck a very friendly tone, and avoided what some had feared would be an uncomfortable encounter, said DW's Washington DC bureau chief Ines Pohl reporting from the White House. 

"All the fear that he [Merz] might be ambushed by this fireside, didn't happen. This meeting between the two was a huge success from the German perspective," she said.  

"Merz performed very well, with fluent English and relaxed body language, especially towards the end," she said.  

"He flattered Trump (rightly so) as the man who is crucial to ending the war in Ukraine," she added. 

"A good start for the fairly new German chancellor. How long the new friendship between the US and German leader will last, however, needs to be seen. We all must not forget how fast Donald Trump can change his mind," she said. 

As the press conference turned to Ukraine, Trump reiterated his claim that the war in Ukraine "would have never happened" if he had been president.

Merz said he hoped the US and Germany could work together to bring the war to an end.

"I am here to talk about how we could contribute to that goal … we are looking for measures and instruments to bring this war to an end," Merz said.

After winning the German election, Merz had openly expressed doubt about the robustness of the trans-Atlantic alliance, saying that Germany and Europe are now facing a "real paradigm shift in foreign and security policy."

"May I remind you tomorrow is June 6, the D-day anniversary when the Americans once ended a war in Europe," Merz said to Trump at the White House.

"In the long run, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship … We know what we owe you," Merz said.

"America is again in a very strong position to do something on ending this war, so let's talk about doing what we can," he added.

"We are looking for more pressure on Russia, we should talk about that," Merz said.

Since Trump took office, his overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has led to concern about US commitment to European security.

"It's a bloodbath going on over there," Trump said, referring to Ukraine. 

Maybe there will be "more fighting before they are able to be pulled apart," Trump said, comparing the war in Ukraine to children fighting on a schoolyard.

"If I see Russia's out of line, you'll see how tough ...They like to say I am friends with Russia, I am not friends with anybody, I am friends with you," Trump said, gesturing to Merz.

"I want the right thing to happen for everybody," Trump said. 

Merz said he agreed with Trump on ending the war quickly. 

"I am for stopping killing ... I think we both agree on how terrible this war is, we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon," Merz said. 

"I told the president that he is the key person in the world who can do that by putting pressure on Russia," Merz added. 

"I think we have the duty to do something on that now to stop it." 

DW's Washington bureau chief, Ines Pohl, said that Chancellor Merz calling Trump the most important factor in pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine was a savvy attempt at flattery.

She added that waiting until after the cameras were rolling to discuss the details with Trump was a "smart" move by Merz.  

In the Oval Office, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump sat before cameras and shared pleasantries.

Trump congratulated Merz on his election victory, and Merz commented on the appearance of the Oval Office, to which Trump replied, "we like things to be tippy top like they have in Germany."

When Trump was asked what he expects from the US relationship with Germany, Trump said that he and Merz had a good working relationship. 

"He is a very good man to deal with, he is difficult , but he is a very great representative of Germany."

"All we want is to have a good relationship. We will have a good trade deal," Trump said, adding that any deal on trade would also be up to the European Union.

When asked in German, what his thoughts of the meeting were, Merz said, "I want to thank the president for the very friendly reception in the Oval Office, I am very glad to be here, and we are paving the way for closer cooperation, I hope," Merz said, before continuing in English.

"You speak such good English … it is an achievement," Trump said, complementing the German chancellor.

Trump continues to field questions from the press covering everything from China, Elon Musk, and his crackdown on student visas.

 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived at the White House for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Trump greeted Merz at the door, and the two leaders shook hands. Then, the US president led the German chancellor inside.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet for 40 minutes in the Oval Office, after which they will have lunch.

According to a long-standing tradition, everyone who stays overnight at Blair House, the US President's guest house, leaves a book there.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who stayed overnight at Blair House after his arrival in Washington, also adhered to the tradition.

According to a government spokesperson, he brought a collection of letters from German immigrants published by Walter Kamphoefner in 1988 under the title "News from the Land of Freedom. German Immigrants write home."

The collected letters come from farmers, workers and domestic servants from the period between 1830 and 1900.

 

There appears to have been a last minute change to the visit schedule between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The New York Times reported that the meeting in the Oval Office has been shifted to before the working lunch.

German officials had expected the working lunch first where any differences could be ironed out, before facing the global media, the newspaper reported.

Trump's meeting with Merz in front of the press is now due to take place at 11:30 a.m. local time (5:30 p.m. German time).

Its not immediately clear why the schedule has been changed at this stage.

Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he is ready to discuss German domestic issues with US President Donald Trump during their first meeting at the White House.

"If we also talk about German domestic policy, we are welcome to do so," he said ahead of the meeting.

"However, I will also be very clear about my opinion, if necessary," Merz added.

But he also stressed that Germany does not interfere or comment when it comes to American domestic politics.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press news agency quoted a White House official as saying that Trump would likely raise issues such as German defense spending, trade, Ukraine, and what an official called "democratic backsliding" at the meeting.

The anonymous source explained that the Trump administration believes freedom of expression has deteriorated in Germany. This position was made clear during a speech by Vice President JD Vance during his address at the Munich Security Conference in February.

According to a press statement from the chancellor's office, Merz said that he wants to thank Trump first for the invitation and then present him with a small gift. 

The German chancellor is prepared to talk about the war in Ukraine and ways Berlin and Washington can work together to end it.

Merz also said that he and Trump will also have to discuss trade policy. "Germany is one of America's largest investors. Few countries invest more in the US than Germany does," he added.

The statement also outlined NATO as another topic of discussion.

"We've amended the German Basic Law. Now, we can truly make the necessary expenditures to strengthen the Bundeswehr," he said in the statement, adding that Germany's goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe.

"However, I still don't expect any breakthroughs on the three major issues mentioned," the German chancellor said.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington for talks that are likely to call on the new German leader to exert his diplomatic skills to the maximum amid differences over the conflict in Ukraine and trade tariffs.

Ahead of the meeting, Merz's spokesman said that the chancellor was, however, looking ahead to his first in-person meeting with Trump "with great calmness and joy." 

"Germany is the third largest economy in the world, and we have a lot to offer as an economic partner of the USA," Stefan Kornelius said. 

"At the same time, a very constructive and positive relationship with America is very important to us, for our own economy and for the security of Germany and Europe."

The fact that both Trump and Merz are keen golf players and have business backgrounds might also go some way toward creating a good atmosphere despite the weightiness of the topics on the agenda. They are also on first name terms after several phone calls, Kornelius said.

Another thorny issue that might raise its head is the support of many in Trump's circle for the far-right German party Alternative for Germany (AfD), with some of them criticizing the fact that it has been declared "right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as a blow to free speech.

At the time, Merz described these criticisms as "absurd observations" from Washington and said he "would like to encourage the American government ... to largely stay out of" German domestic politics.

But even in view of such possibly explosive discussions, Merz quipped in a recent interview with public broadcaster ZDF that he would not need to take valerian — often prescribed to treat anxiety — "to stay calm and have a reasonable conversation with the American president."