On Friday, President Donald Trump met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the two had an awkward exchange on more than one occasion. Despite the fact that much of the controversy was done in front of the press, Trump is pushing back on social media.
Trump on Twitter
It's no secret that Donald Trump and Angela Merkel don't see eye to eye when it comes to politics and policy. Even during his presidential campaign, Trump would criticize the German leader, mostly over her stance on immigration and handling the rise of radical Islamic terrorism into the West.
Following their meeting at the White House, Trump appeared to ignore a request from Merkel to shake hands with each other, while later making a controversial joke about being wiretapped by former President Barack Obama. Trump even went as far as accusing a German reporter of reading "fake news," which led to Merkel turning her head and looking at the president with confusion. These moments were caught on camera, but Trump is still insisting that he had a "great" meeting with his German counter part. As seen on his Twitter account on March 18, Trump had a few things to get off his chest.
Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017
...vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017
Taking to social media to vent his frustration, Donald Trump found a way to praise his meeting with Angela Merkel, while smearing the country of Germany over the course of a two-part tweet.
"Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel," Trump wrote on Twitter Saturday morning."
Rifts between Donald Trump and Angela Merkel apparent during first meeting https://t.co/j2ZbBroUHN pic.twitter.com/ttxEVUMOQH
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) March 18, 2017
Not stopping there, Donald Trump then decided to insult the country by claiming Germany must pay back money that had been lent to them in the past.
"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!," he tweeted.
Next up
After just over 50 days in the White House, Donald Trump is creating new controversy on an almost daily basis. Whether it's signing executive orders, proposing controversial policies, or his interaction with world leaders, the former host of "The Apprentice" doesn't look to be changing his style anytime soon.