Vincent McAviney: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz brings a gift for Trump

UK and Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney spoke to Ryan Bridge about German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to the White House.  

The chancellor presented President Donald Trump with a gift: The birth certificate of President Trump’s German grandfather, which seemed to go down well with the President.

Despite the positivity on the outside, McAviney said that the difference between the two nations’ approach to the war in Ukraine has led negotiations to continue behind closed doors.  

McAviney also said that Germany is likely aiming to secure a deal with the US that will reduce the effects of Trump’s tariffs. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's get de Vincent mcavinie in the UK for us,
then some good morning, good morning. Now over in the
Ival Office, we've heard Mertz meeting with Trump. Did anything
come of the meeting?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, Fredrich Mertz, the new Chancellor of Germany, made that
path that some leaders have fallen down on to the
Oval Office in recent months. It seems to have gone
off the public side pretty much without a hitch. He
presented Donald Trump with a gift, which was his German
grandfather's original birth certificate, which seemed to go down quite
well with the President. When it came to their meeting.

(00:35):
I mean, we were told that he had sort of
gamed out scenarios. He would have likely have talked to
Mark Carney and Keir Starmer, the Canadian and British prime
ministers who had successful visits, not so much the South
African president, and of course Vladimir Zelenski. The questions, though,
seem to have highlighted some of the rift, particularly when
it comes to Ukraine. Germany a big support of Ukraine.

(00:55):
It's thought, with some strategic ambiguity at the moment they
won't confirm this. Germany has given permission to Ukraine to
use long range missiles that they're provising to strike further
into Russia. But Donald Trump is essentially saying, you know,
it's like he's compared in this meeting to two children
fighting in a park. He had a two hour long
conversation with Vladimir Putin and he said that you've got

(01:19):
to let them fight for a while, and he thinks
he knows when will be the right moment to step in,
but won't say what that is. So they're now meeting
behind closed doors. Of course, Germany trying to get a
deal like the UK has to get out of these tariffs.
Their manufacturing industry hit very hard. But they are just
part of the EU when it comes to that, so
they're part of a kind of multi pronged approach.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Interesting and Vincent well have today. That's Vincent Mecha any
O UK Europe correspond For

Speaker 2 (01:45):
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