Angela Merkel

Through the whirlwind that has been the Trump candidacy and now Presidency, we have heard Mr. Trump call out Angela Merkel several times.  In her recent White House visit, we have heard Mr. Trump retort Germany's contributions to NATO, alleging that the United States protects Germany with their defense force.   He went on to criticize the nation and demand additional payment for the United States' commitment to NATO.

With all eyes on the United Kingdom following Brexit, many have forgotten that Germany is a key player in the European Union as well as NATO.  It will be interesting to see how post-Brexit U.K. will align itself in the issues that Trump has brought forth with the United States' NATO membership.  As the U.K. strives to be its own independent nation (with probably some age-old fantasies of the former empire), will its leadership begin to critique NATO as well?  How will it react to a EU dominated by Germany and France?

The following photograph has been circulating the internet recently, with Trump and Merkel seated together, Trump supposedly refusing a requested hand shake.  It is hard to say 100% if he did deny the request (Spicer claims he did not hear).  Nevertheless, it is an intriguing graphic that could foreshadow US-EU-UK relations to come.