The Absence of Conflict Is a Win

The outcome of the first meeting between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump was marked as much by what did not happen as by what did. Despite concerns that the president’s potential mood swings would hamper the encounter, as they had at recent oval office visits that went off the rails, this one was essentially an opportunity for two men to introduce themselves to each other. 

The last-minute shift in the meeting’s sequence, with the Oval Office meeting coming before the lunch, caught Chancellor Merz by surprise—as planned. But Merz was able to watch Trump for most of the time as the press asked the president questions having nothing to do with the chancellor’s visit. 

The welcome Trump offered could be interpreted as a sign of respect, with Trump perhaps seeing the chancellor as a major figure in his tense relationship with the EU over tariffs. Merz offered the president a gift in the form of a framed copy of the birth certificate of his German grandfather, perhaps to underline his family connections to Germany—something that Trump had shown little interest in thus far. But that gesture was aimed at forging rapport, and it seemed to work.

When the topic of Ukraine came up, Trump framed the war using the image of two young kids fighting who need to be separated. He suggested that the two countries were equally guilty of continuing the war. In referencing the thousands of dead, Trump made no distinction between the sides. This time Merz challenged him, saying that the war dead were mostly due to Russian rockets fired into Ukraine. Trump did not respond, but this provided an opportunity for Merz to make his case for putting pressure on Putin to come to the negotiating table. 

Whether this initial encounter will remain a basis for Trump and Merz to build on the rapport they gained in the Oval Office is as unknowable as the president himself is unpredictable. There will be further opportunities later this month to continue talks at the G7 meeting in Canada and in the upcoming NATO meeting in the Hague. But the challenges ahead are going to be far more difficult than arranging a brief getting-to-know-you event. Rapport is not guarantee of the resolution of difficult issues. But it is a start.