Musk vs. Trump drama dominated in DC, but Germany’s Merz quietly walked away with a win

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s meeting with U.S. President

“I think what Friedrich Merz got across is that he hopes that the U.S. president will continue to support Ukraine,” he said, noting that the issue had gathered momentum recently given several significant attacks. Merz was able to pick up on this, and draw links to the anniversary of D-Day a day after their meeting.

“And he said the United States played a great role in … freeing Europe from the Nazi regime back then, and so he’s hoping that Donald Trump will … say we’re going to get engaged again and help Europe become free of dictatorship,” van de Laar said.

Merz making this point was important in the context of highlighting the U.S.-German relationship, according to Jackson Janes, senior resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund. Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe,” he also pointed out that Trump was gifted his grandfather’s birth certificate by Merz, “making the point ‘you have a relationship with Germany in your own family.'”

Janes also noted that Merz highlighting Germany’s plans for higher defense spending would have marked a positive note in the discussion.

Germany recently changed its fiscal rules to allow for higher defense spending, and Merz’s government seems to be making it a priority. The chancellor has promised a financial push to boost the German military, and the country’s foreign minister has suggested support for Trump’s proposal that NATO members spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.

Meanwhile, the sensitive topic of Germany’s far-right party, the Alternative fuer Deutschland, was seemingly avoided. Officials in the Trump administration have in recent weeks come out in support of the party after German intelligence services classified it as a “proven right-wing extremist organization.”

This led to clapbacks from German politicians, with Merz himself warning the U.S. not to get involved. The classification of the AfD is currently on hold amid a legal challenge.

Following the meeting, Merz appeared satisfied, saying in a social media post that the atmosphere was “really good,” and that the two have much in common. “I am coming back with the feeling that we can speak on the phone any time,” he said, according to a CNBC translation.

But even an in-person reunion might not be too far off: a Trump trip to Berlin is already being planned, Merz told German media.