German Chancellor Angela Merkel could not resist chortling during a Monday presser held prior to her bilateral meeting with Donald Trump on the margins of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, after the US president said that he would visit Berlin "soon" and pointed to his German heritage.
"We'll be there... we're very honoured by the invitation — and that's true — and we will be there. Maybe soon", he said, before adding, "I have German in my blood", at which Merkel snorted out loud.
Look at her reaction! She's the best! 🤣 #Expressionoftheday #G7Biarritz #G7Biarritz #AngelaMerkel #DonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/T96eEMTAQt
— Markus Gisin (@markusgisin) 26 августа 2019 г.
Trump made the announcement after a reporter asked Merkel if she had invited the US president to Germany, and if so, what his answer was.
The chancellor replied by saying that she had done so "many times" on previous occasions, and then allowed Trump to respond on his own.
While the president lavished praise on Merkel, calling her a "brilliant woman" during the news conference, and described their subsequent bilateral meeting as "very productive" on Twitter, social media users weren't so friendly.
In the hours after the presser, #TrumpNotWelcome became the top trending hashtag on the micro-blogging platform:
Hashtag of the day #trumpnotwelcome pic.twitter.com/lyBznI8uyx
— Lisa Leveler (@LisaLeveler) 26 августа 2019 г.
Can I look? Is he sill there? Make him go away. Come to germany? Nope, tell him I'm not at home.#TrumpNotWelcome pic.twitter.com/6Ygf4426BN
— SanversEndgame🤡♐🏳️🌈♉ (@Capt_ChrisPike) 26 августа 2019 г.
Dear @realDonaldTrump,
— Volker Maaßen (@foffo) 26 августа 2019 г.
My opinion: You´re not welcome in Germany.#TrumpNotWelcome #resist
Maybe we can borrow @TrumpBabyUK when Trump visits Germany. Either way, we will will be loud and resistant to clarify that he’s not welcome here! #TrumpNotWelcome pic.twitter.com/zoqbC2wXQT
— Aufstehen gegen Rassismus Essen (@agr_essen) 26 августа 2019 г.
Aside from blasting Trump's plans to visit Germany, many expressed amusement at what has been largely perceived as Merkel's surprised chuckle at POTUS' announcement:
.@realDonaldTrump: "I have German in my blood."
— t-online.de (@tonline_news) 26 августа 2019 г.
Merkel: 😁🤭🤐#G7Biarritz #G7France #Trump #TrumpMerkel #Merkel pic.twitter.com/2U4jMJq57a
A perfectly German snort.
— Ami Dar (@AmiDar) 26 августа 2019 г.
Trump: I have German in my blood
— Tahar (@laseptiemewilay) 27 августа 2019 г.
Merkel: Snort loudly. 🤣🤣😉
Watch
She literally had to stop herself from bursting out loud laughing pic.twitter.com/GNnrcGU7YO
that’s funny. she seems to be trying to suppress hilarious laughter the whole clip
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) 27 августа 2019 г.
This is so funny! "I have German in my blood!" Watch Angela Merkel's reaction 😂😂😂 #G7Summit #Trump #AngelaMerkel #Germany #funny #G7 #democracy pic.twitter.com/dQ7e2dqKgy
— Gogo6969 / vidFame (@Gogo6969) 26 августа 2019 г.
Despite numerous invitations, Trump has never been on a bilateral diplomatic visit to Germany during his tenure. In 2017, he attended the G20 summit in the city of Hamburg, and in December 2018 made a surprise trip with his wife Melania to the Ramstein Air Base in south-west Germany to pay a visit to US troops stationed there.
This is not the first time that Trump has brought up his German ancestry: in April, he scolded the country for insufficient military spending during a meeting with NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, but at the same time attempted to soften the blow by expressing his respect to Germany and Merkel in his own, signature way:
"I have great respect for Angela, and I have great respect for the country. My father is German, right, was German, and born in a very wonderful place in Germany, and so I have a great feeling for Germany, but they're not paying what they should be paying".
At the time, his comment was widely mocked, because even though his father, Fred Trump, was born to a German family of immigrants from Bavaria, he entered the world in the Bronx, New York City, according to open-source information. It was POTUS' grandfather, Friedrich, who was reportedly born in Germany and then moved to the US.
