Germany's Merz to 'adapt' to Trump during high-stakes meeting on tariffs, defense

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is acceptable to conscionable with President Donald Trump connected Thursday arsenic large geopolitical issues ranging from warfare successful Europe, the Middle East and monolithic commercialized disputes are expected to beryllium discussed.

Germany and the Trump administration, some during his archetypal word and again upon re-election, person butted heads with some sides expressing nationalist vexation with 1 another. 

But caller positive chats betwixt Merz and Trump suggest the gathering connected Thursday volition stay cordial arsenic Berlin looks to marque headway erstwhile it comes to lifting Trump’s 25% tariff connected imported vehicles and parts, arsenic good arsenic the existing 10% tariff connected each goods, which was temporarily lowered from 20% earlier this year. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives successful Washington, D.C., June 5, 2025. (Michael Kappeler/picture confederation via Getty Images)

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The travel to D.C. this week is Merz’s archetypal since becoming chancellor past month, and comes arsenic European nations person progressively banded unneurotic pursuing Trump’s geopolitical positions regarding commercialized and defence since re-entering the White House. 

Nations similar France and the U.K. person successfully toed the enactment erstwhile it comes to maintaining a narration with Washington nether the Trump presidency, portion besides drastically expanding relations to alteration aboriginal dependence connected the U.S.

Germany’s Merz is besides expected to effort to onslaught this equilibrium – a strategy helium said helium had already begun moving connected erstwhile speaking with German media earlier this week.

Containers are stored for export astatine a harbor successful Duisburg, Germany, arsenic the U.S. threatens 25% tariffs connected automobiles and up to 20% tariffs connected each different imports. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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"It's ever important that you don't speech for excessively long, but that you speech for a infinitesimal and fto him speech too", Merz told German outlet WDR. "You person to accommodate to him and get progressive with him – and astatine the aforesaid clip you can't marque yourself smaller than we are. 

"That's my astir important request anyway, that we tin speech to him sensibly: We're not supplicants," helium added. 

But contempt efforts to bolster relations with Trump from afar, Oval Office meetings with the president are thing but predictable, arsenic witnessed by the explosive interaction during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s February visit, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile the president accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s authorities of committing "genocide" past month. Ramaphosa rejected the claims.

European leaders, from left, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz clasp a telephone speech with President Trump connected May 16, 2025, astatine Skanderbeg Square successful Tirana, Albania. (KuglerSteffen/Bundesregierung via Getty Images)

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One country wherever Merz could gain points with Trump is erstwhile it comes NATO defence spending and the president’s propulsion for nations to not lone summation spending connected defence to the 2% threshold, but to walk 5% GDP connected defence – a propulsion the U.S. is not yet adjacent to achieving. 

While Germany does walk much than 2% of its GDP connected defense, Merz has backed the telephone to walk up to 5%, and helium could usage this to rally Trump to summation his enactment for Kyiv, and propulsion for greater European engagement successful aboriginal bid talks.