Trump welcomes Merkel in White House after delay
US President Donald Trump yesterday welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House for talks expected to focus on their differences over Nato, Russia, global trade and a host of other issues.
The two leaders shook hands and smiled for the cameras before entering the West Wing.
Talks had been scheduled for Tuesday, before a blizzard in the eastern United States forced a postponement.
For years, Merkel -- a trained physicist -- had been president Barack Obama's closest international partner, with the two sharing a strong rapport and a similar deliberative approach.
With Trump, Merkel may settle for avoiding an open argument or a 140-character Twitter missive.
Before coming to office the US president called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and said she was "ruining Germany."
He also demanded countries like Germany step up defense spending, a sensitive issue for a nation that has had a strong pacifist tradition since World War II and proselytizes fiscal prudence.
In a similar vein, Merkel has sought to remind the real estate mogul of democratic values.
Any "close cooperation," she said, must be on the basis of the "values of democracy, freedom, respect for the rule of law and human dignity, regardless of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political belief."
Comments like that have prompted some of Trump's fiercest critics to declare Merkel the new "leader of the free world," a moniker normally taken up by the occupant of the White House.
Between meetings, the pair will hold a joint press conference at 1:20 pm (1720 GMT) that is sure to dredge up past barbed disagreements.
Before departing for the United States, Merkel also noted she was going to Washington as an envoy not just of Germany, but of Europe too.
"I will of course point out that for us, our country and our membership in the European Union are two sides of the same coin," Merkel said ahead of the visit.
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