Friedrich Merz once again demonstrates tact in dealing with the impulsive US President.Image: keystone
analysis
Iran war, Ukraine, punitive tariffs: At the 3rd meeting in the Oval Office, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is relying on a quiet but precise strategy in dealing with President Trump.
03/04/2026, 06:2603/04/2026, 06:26
Florian Schmidt and Bastian Brauns, Washington
And then he says something. It actually becomes really clear, much clearer than some people expected from Friedrich Merz. On Tuesday (US time), the German Chancellor sits next to Donald Trump in the now very gold presidential office, the Oval Office. When asked by a journalist about the economic impact of the Iran war, Merz said:
“Yes, of course, that harms our economies.”
This applies to oil prices and also to gas prices. “For this reason,” Merz continued, “we all hope that this war ends as soon as possible, that the Israeli and American armies do the right things to end it. So that a new government takes over that brings back peace and freedom.”
There it is, the sentence that should stick. Because it symbolizes Merz’s tactics in dealing with Donald Trump. It also seems to work on his third visit to the Oval Office: Don’t confront or contradict, but rather send clear “I” messages. And keep the US President in mind: He probably also knows how dangerous high inflation can be in the year of the midterm elections.
Just no confrontation
The Chancellor wants to get the President on board. And he used only a few sentences in front of the cameras in Washington, in the presence of Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. As always, the US President himself takes the stage. Merz lets it happen without pushing himself forward.
Almost everything revolves around Trump: the assembled group in the Oval Office.Image: keystone
Nevertheless, the Chancellor hardly seems like an extra. Once again, like during his inaugural visit last June, he puts the right points in the right place. And that without endangering the mood. Trump, visibly annoyed by some questions, as is so often the case, even jokes with Merz, hits him in the leg in a friendly way, laughs, grins, jokes about Angela Merkel – which Merz responds to with a stoicism that seems almost ironic to German observers.
The Chancellor traveled to Washington in difficult times. The war against Iran dominates the agenda in the USA, and the issues originally envisaged by the Chancellor – Ukraine, the customs dispute – have almost completely faded into the background in the past few days.
What made matters worse for Merz was that it was Trump’s first long press event since the military strikes began last Saturday. American journalists are using the opportunity even more than usual to grill Trump – and Merz was literally left behind.
Friedrich Merz barely makes a face in the Oval Office while Trump is grilled by the media.Image: keystone
The Chancellor presents his points clearly
But Merz doesn’t seem to think it’s that bad. He almost seems uninvolved, but in a positive way. During the shrill media crossfire, he partly looks into the air and partly stares ahead. Occasionally he smiles, nods, shakes his head in agreement. Nevertheless, in addition to his desire for a quick end to the Iran war, he still manages to represent his points of view.
He clearly addresses the unresolved war in Ukraine, which Trump had previously not given a single syllable to in his statement. “This is a topic that we have to talk about because we all want this war to end as quickly as possible,” says Merz. There are other villains in the world and not just Tehran. “Ukraine must protect its territory and its security interests,” said the Chancellor.
When it comes to Ukraine, Merz is clear – and receives little opposition from Trump. Image: keystone
At this moment, Trump seems as if it doesn’t really suit him. The Ukraine war is a nuisance to him because, contrary to what he grandly announced, he cannot solve it in one stroke or with a few air strikes. But he appreciates the Chancellor, whom he once again allowed to stay overnight in Blair House, the White House guest house. And so Trump at least struggles with Ukraine, a grumpy “That’s right. We’ll talk about it.” When asked later, he affirmed how much priority Ukraine was.
Flattering, but targeted
Merz reacts quickly at this moment and thanks him almost profusely for the honorable accommodation. The Blair House is only around 100 meters from the US President’s bedroom. What a great house it is, says Merz. So many heads of state have slept there. Trump seems appeased and says: “Yes, a very famous house.”
The Chancellor also brings up the unclear situation with customs duties. After the Supreme Court’s ruling against his emergency legislation, Trump threatened the entire world, including Europe: the US President wants to impose 15 percent additional tariffs, based on another law, on imported goods. “We’re going to talk about some great trade deals,” Trump boasted in his opening statement. Merz knows that it won’t be that easy.
Then Trump becomes cocky
At the beginning of the meeting, Trump looks next to Merz as if the appointment was almost inconvenient for him. Tired and unenthusiastic, he answers question after question. In view of the Iran problems, which are increasingly affecting him domestically, he would perhaps prefer to do something other than justify himself. But with the Chancellor at his side, Trump gains more and more momentum over the course of around 40 minutes. Until the infamous arrogance takes hold of him, which ensures that he makes the next headlines.
Trump suddenly rages against socialist-ruled Spain as an unreliable partner and threatens to end all trade with the country. The reason: Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refuses to increase defense spending for NATO. Things get tricky here for Merz, a staunch European, as Trump is attacking an important EU member here. And Trump is also shooting sharply against Great Britain. “They are very uncooperative and destroy relationships,” he complains.
The Spanish Prime Minister has a much more difficult time with Trump than Friedrich Merz.Image: keystone
The Chancellor will know at this moment that the USA can hardly deal with a single EU member on trade issues. And so Merz then elegantly redirects a German journalist’s question about Trump’s threat of punishment against Spain. Again he sends an I message. He will try to convince Spain to make its contribution like everyone else. He doesn’t respond to Trump’s threat at all, even though he was explicitly asked about it. At least that’s not wrong in the lion’s den.
Later, when the cameras were no longer there, Merz made it clear to the president that individual punishments of EU members would not be successful. At least that’s what he tells us later. Because he didn’t want to deepen this discussion in public. He also defends Great Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer against Trump. Because it would make an invaluable contribution, especially in Ukraine.
Routine as the best result
Unlike last year’s inaugural visit, this meeting has the character of a working meeting. This time, Merz entered Trump’s official residence through the back entrance from the south side – away from the press, without glamorous pictures, with a friendly handshake and the numerous standards in the background. The American protocol also keeps the meeting with the Chancellor visually shorter this time.
That doesn’t have to mean anything bad. In the end, the meeting seems like a routine between two politicians who now know each other relatively well and can assess each other. Merz gives Trump the space that the US President demands for himself. And he, in turn, lets the Chancellor get through his clear words and expressed wishes without feeling snubbed.
But what can the Chancellor gain from this communication trip that lasts just 20 hours? When Merz leaves the White House after lunch with Trump, he steps in front of the journalists who had traveled with him. The location seems to have been chosen symbolically. Merz stands in front of large panoramic windows on the 9th floor of a building on Constitution Avenue. Behind him you can see the parliamentary heart of American democracy, the Capitol, where the US Congress meets. The highest American court recently strengthened the rights of parliament, particularly in customs issues that are sensitive for Germany.
The tricky questions remain
“After the Supreme Court’s ruling, we now want a fair, lasting agreement,” says Merz. An agreement that would place a greater burden on transatlantic trade than the agreement reached in August last year would not be up for debate for the European Union and for him personally. “We know that in Washington too,” said the Chancellor. On the European side, “a limit has clearly been reached.”
In order to illustrate the deep connection with America, especially on trade issues, he also brought Trump a gift this time, the Chancellor reveals. Last time it was his grandfather’s German birth certificate. Now it was a framed copy of the first trade agreement between what was then Prussia and the newly founded, independent American nation from 1785. Merz says he gave Trump this trade policy reminder “with a wink.” Whether these little gifts will also sustain this complicated transatlantic friendship remains to be seen.
Merz once again brought Trump a symbolic gift to the White House.Image: www.imago-images.de
Merz: Ukraine peace only with Europe
When it comes to Ukraine, all of this could become even more difficult. Merz says:
“President Trump knows that only a peace that Europe supports and legitimizes can last.”
But we don’t know whether the US President will act accordingly.
Merz’s routine recipe for this: The personal conversation will continue, whether at the next G7 meeting in France or in the form of telephone calls. In these times and with this president, it is probably the only means of achieving a little stability.
Sources used:
- Observations, conversations and research on site