At times a stunned looking German Chancellor Angela Merkel looked in disbelief toward the podium where America's former reality TV star, now President Donald J. trump, gave her a blunt schooling in his "America First Policy." Instead of using the tip-toe, lets-be-nice diplomacy of past administrations, Trump spoke plainly and openly about contrasting foreign policy views he had with the German leader.
Wiretapped buddies — not
Not surprisingly, Trump refused to walk back his allegations that his office at the Trump Tower was wiretapped by the Obama Administration during the election when asked about the claim by a German reporter.
In fact, Trump went a step further by dragging Merkle, who had actually been surveilled by the Obama Administration, right in the middle of the growing controversy.
"As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common perhaps," Trump quipped, nodding his head toward a clearly shaken Merkel.
Trump rebuffs Merkel's open-door immigration policy
Merkle somehow put on a forced smile, but did not embrace Trump's faux empathy, or even directly acknowledge it.
Trump then went on to tell Merkel and the world that "immigration security is national security" and that "immigration is a privilege, not a right." This was obviously in response to Merkel's criticism of Trump's "Travel Ban" aimed at six Middle-East countries and his temporary refugee ban.
Merkel has supported an open-borders policy for Germany, which has resulted in an influx of more than 1 million refugees migrating there in 2015 alone.This policy is becoming increasingly unpopular among German's politically right voters, but still tolerated by its left political factions.
The bill collector cometh
However, it was when Trump made a direct demand that NATO member nations such as Germany begin pay their monetary fair share that some raised eyebrows and red faces appeared among the genteel members of the diplomatic corp.
"It is very unfair to the United States. These nations must pay what they owe," Trump said.
NATO members are supposed to kick in 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while Germany, Europe's most prosperous nation, only pays 1.2 percent. The United States pays 3 percent. So, while Merkel may have been put off by Mr.
Trump's in-your-face tactics, many Americans, especially Trump supporters, don't feel sorry for her. They see a Germany that in many respects is more prosperous economically than the United States, due to the fact that American taxpayers have been paying for the majority of Germany's defense bill for more than 60 years.
Earlier in the day there was a major press hubbub about the fact that Trump appeared to refuse to shake Merkle's hand. But in truth, if body language is reliable thermometer for how people regard one another, then both Trump and Merkle were well below freezing.
