
Watch live: Trump meets German leader in Oval Office
Watch live as Donald Trump meets German chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on Thursday, 5 June.
Though the pair have spoken by phone, it is Mr Merz's first meeting with the US president since becoming leader of Europe's biggest economy.
Topics that Mr Trump is likely to raise with Mr Merz include Germany's defense spending, trade, Ukraine and 'democratic backsliding," a White House official said.
Today's meeting came after two explosive showdowns between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In Mr Zelensky's meeting, Mr Trump and JD Vance shouted over the Ukrainian leader. The meeting appeared to go south when the US vice president accused the Ukrainian leader of being "disrespectful" when Mr Zelensky said US security guarantees are necessary for a ceasefire.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
AP PHOTOS: Protesters tear-gassed in Los Angeles after federal immigration arrests
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.


The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Forget paying France to stop migrants – spend it destroying UK black market that lures them here
Migrant millions wasted on French IN THE last ten years this country has handed the thick end of £1billion to France to stop the boats. What has it achieved? 1 Since 2018, more than 150,000 people have made the perilous Channel crossing as French cops watched them go. This year alone nearly 15,000 have come across in small boats, a 42 per cent increase on the same time last year. In any other business, investing £800million for such a disastrous return would be seen as a catastrophic failure on all sides. But the shameless French don't care when it comes to our taxpayer cash. Despite their flop they are now demanding even more money to intercept boats in shallow water. What a disgraceful cheek. We have no guarantee French cops will approach the task with any more enthusiasm if we fill their pockets yet again. In fact their police union leader seems to despise migrants so much that he appears happy to see the back of them. Since removing the Rwanda deterrent, Sir Keir Starmer's attempts to stop the boats or the gangs have floundered. But rather than gifting hundreds of millions more to the French, the PM would do better to look in our own backyard. Fury as hotel firm housing asylum seekers in 'all-inclusive resorts' paid £700M a year of YOUR money Spend the money destroying the booming black market that is such a magnet for migrants in the first place. Without the lure of illegal cash-in-hand jobs thousands would never risk the treacherous crossing in the first place. Boom & boast RACHEL REEVES will this week boast of an £86billion investment in Britain's fastest growing sectors. The Chancellor's Spending Review bonanza will focus on tech, sciences and defence. If it boosts business and creates jobs it is well worth shouting about. With growth as slow as a snail carrying a sandbag the economy needs help. But this cash has to come from somewhere. Spend, spend, spend is all very well. As long as it isn't followed in October by tax, tax, tax. Sprout of order Wouldn't it have been nice for someone else to have paid the bills. Which is exactly what happened to Lib Dem MP Sarah Gibson when she got the taxpayer to pay for her £154 festive party. She should be deeply ashamed for claiming it on her Commons expenses when millions are feeling the pinch.


The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Polling on Elon Musk glaring red light for Republicans
Even as Elon Musk and President Donald Trump no longer appear to be on speaking terms, the Tesla CEO's popularity among the Republican base is on the rise, according to polling. Trump and Musk's friendly relationship came to a dazzling end on Thursday as their disagreement over the Republicans' spending package went into full bloom. Musk called the bill, which significantly increases the deficit, a 'disgusting abomination.' Trump said his former friend had gone 'crazy' as Musk called for his impeachment and removal and claimed that the president is included in the 'Epstein Files.' He later deleted that post. While Musk isn't set to take over as the top figure in the Republican Party, he could create chaos surrounding the GOP's agenda and its plans for the 2026 midterms. Seventy-six percent of Republicans see Musk favorably, according to the most recent poll by The Economist and YouGov. Meanwhile, just 18 percent view him unfavorably. According to a poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College in late April, 77 percent of Republicans view Musk favorably. Since the start of the second Trump administration, Musk's popularity has been over 70 percent in most polls, Politico noted. The billionaire is more popular than House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, or almost anyone else in the GOP. Among Republicans, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance are more popular than Musk, with 87% and 80% approval, respectively, according to the Economist /YouGov survey. Musk's polling strength with the Republican base may partly be rooted in the fact that GOP voters believed in the mission of the Department of Government Efficiency from the outset, with almost 90 percent backing the notion that the government needs to be downsized. A recent Harvard-Harris poll found that about the same percentage of Republicans believe that DOGE has been effective at scaling back spending. Meanwhile, Democrats and independents are less likely to trust DOGE's accomplishments and are much less likely to view Musk favorably. Fifteen percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents have favorable views of the billionaire. Musk may become a dangerous rival for the Republican Party, whose values align with the DOGE mission of cutting spending and reducing the deficit. Musk's wealth and social media influence as the owner of X may pose a threat to Trump and his party. This comes as Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he has 'no intention' of speaking to Musk or attempting to repair the relationship. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' said Trump. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' 'I would assume so, yeah,' he said when asked if his relationship with Musk was over. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,' he added. He also issued a threat, saying that Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he chooses to use his significant wealth to fund Democrats. Musk's opposition to the spending bill could lead the billionaire to fund challengers to Republicans who voted in favor of it. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News.