17:00⇢Trump Embraces Merz At White House
⌨The newspapers report on Chancellor Merz's unexpectedly warm reception by Trump at the White House, with multiple outlets covering the harmonious meeting where Trump called Merz a "great chancellor for Germany" and praised German defense spending increases (FAZ, FR, RP Online, Spiegel, Süddeutsche, Tagesspiegel, Welt, Zeit, merkur.de). Merz responded by calling Trump a "key figure" in ending the Ukraine war, though Trump compared the conflict to "quarreling children" while Merz maintained criticism of Russia. The meeting avoided confrontational topics initially, with both leaders emphasizing friendship between their countries and seeking common ground on Ukraine solutions. Meanwhile, domestic political tensions emerge as Rhineland-Palatinate prepares legislation to restrict AfD parliamentary staffing, with critics calling it a backdoor party ban against "constitutional enemies" (Junge Freiheit).