United States President Donald Trump has a "fairly unbelievable" relationship with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House on Tuesday said. The statement was made hours after Trump complained about Germany in a tweet.
The White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, while addressing the reporters, said that Trump and Merkel get along "very well" and that their "bond" is growing which they had established during their talks at G7 Summit.
"The relationship that the President has had with Merkel he would describe as fairly unbelievable...He has a lot of respect for her," Spicer said.
Spicer's statement came shortly after Trump took to Twitter to slam Germany stating that it was not paying enough for defence to contribute its share for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change," Trump had tweeted.
We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2017
Despite various signals that Trump and Merkel are not on the same page, as witnessed during the US President's Europe visit, the Press Secretary said that the US President views not just Germany, but the rest of the Europe as important ally to America.
"During his conversations at NATO and at the G7, the president reaffirmed the need to deepen and improve our transatlantic relationship," he said, as reporters asked him about the general impression that all is not well between US and Germany, PTI reported.
Shortly after Trump's visit to Europe, Merkel had made a statement saying that Europe could no longer depend on the United States for assistance and that it had to become self-reliant. Spicer disputed the media's interpretation of her remarks stating that the press misquoted Chancellor Merkel.
"That's not what she said. So since you're misquoting the Chancellor, let me read what she actually said. She said: 'The times when Europe could rely solely on others is somewhat in the past. And as I have witnessed over the past few days, Europe must take its fate into its own hands. This means working in friendship with the US, the UK, and neighbourly relations with Russia and other partners," Spicer said.
