Overview

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met President Trump on June 5 in Washington to discuss Ukraine support, NATO commitments and trade tensions.
• Merz presented Trump with an ornate copy of his grandfather’s German birth record and a custom golf putter engraved with both nations’ flags.
• The birth record duplicated a copy Trump had already received, drawing scrutiny over the oversight by German officials.
• Trump reciprocated by gifting Merz a pilot’s jacket and a replica of the Wright brothers’ 1903 flying machine patent.
• Julian Reichelt, Nius editor, attended at the invitation of US hosts, tried to pose a question during the meeting and later clashed with a reporter online.