German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was overshadowed by the drama surrounding Trump and Elon Musk. Merz had arrived in D.C. with a full agenda that ranged from strengthening relations between the U.

Friedrich Merz, the newly inaugurated German chancellor, will take a seat in the Oval Office on Thursday for his first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Germany’s new chancellor has a mission for his meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday: keeping him invested in the fate of Europe.Friedrich Merz is the latest in a string of European leaders who have traveled to the White House in recent weeks in a coordinated campaign to cajole Trump into backing new sanctions on Russia,

The German chancellor had come to Washington hoping to persuade President Trump to play a more active role in defending Ukraine.

Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro fell to 1.9% in May from 2.2% in April, helping clear the way for more interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank.

Reuters reports that Merz is carrying through on campaign promises to modernize the Bundeswehr, the German Army, and, as Trump asked European nations to do in his first term, to increase spending for their own defense.

Europe has the money and the artillery shells, but key U.S. capabilities like operational intelligence and air defense would be difficult to replace.