German Chancellor Angela Merkel has a habit of not immediately cozying up to U.S. Presidents. Her relationships with Barack Obama and George W. Bush both took time and effort. Now there are video's of her smiling in her encounters with both former presidents. Her meeting with current president Donald Trump seems to have begun the same way, but the question is, will it improve over time?
Ms. Merkel, who recently changed her position on immigration, visited the White House on Friday, March 17th. Both she and President Trump seemed uncomfortable during their time together.
Their faces looked strained, and both were frowning in front of the camera. At times it seemed that they were turning their backs on each other. It was a very awkward situation between the two world leaders.
What the Germans said about the meeting
Stephan Seibert, Ms. Merkel's spokesperson, attempted to put a positive spin on the situation. Seibert praised Donald Trump for his support in working on problems in the Ukraine. Other Germans were not so kind. The online version of the German paper "Suddeusche," reported that the body language between the two leaders was distant and not warm. The German daily publication "The Bild," said that the exchange could have been worse.
Sylke Tempel, editor in chief of "Internationale Politik," was brutaly honest.
He referred to President Trump as a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Tempel went on to state that the president was nice while reading his prepared statements. He said that once Trump went into the question and answer session, he returned to his old self by hurling insults. Clearly Tempel was not impressed.
The bottom line of it all
Truthfully, it is doubtful that Ms. Merkel and President Trump will warm up to each other over time. When she reached to shake his hand at the end of their meeting, it looked as if he were ignoring her. Sadly our current president does not seem to have people skills. This is most evident in the fact that he continues to insult world leaders.
The bottom line of it all is this. After stating that he had a really good meeting with Angela Merkel, President Trump disrespected her and her country by immediately commenting on Twitter. He blasted the Germans by saying they owe vast sums of money to NATO. It would seem that he simply cannot shake the Jekyll and Hyde persona.
