During Presser, Trump recalls US wiretapping Merkel

President Donald Trump used a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to deflect criticism about his unsubstantiated claim that the Obama administration spied on him, reviving a sensitive diplomatic incident in which the U.S. was revealed to have snooped on her cell phone.

“At least we have something in common, perhaps,” Trump said in response to a question from a German reporter, referencing a secret program revealed by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.

The comment reflected the tension that permeated the joint press conference.

Merkel opened by making an apparent dig at the new American president even as the two look to repair what has been a strained relationship during their meeting Friday in Washington.

“It’s much much better to talk to one another than about one another,” Merkel said, perhaps referencing a number of comments Trump made about her during the campaign trail.

Trump’s fourth joint press conference with a foreign leader, which followed the meeting, was also one of his most tense after Trump and Merkel clashed over major policy differences and the basic role of their countries in the world.

Trump once called Merkel “probably the greatest leader in the world,” but used her as a foil during his presidential campaign to represent the cosmopolitan globalism he campaigned against.

While Trump called himself “Mr. Brexit,” Merkel, as the longtime leader of the continent’s most powerful country, is the European Union’s staunchest defender.

While Trump has called for banning refugees, Merkel touted Germany’s willingness to accept them and a spokesman said the chancellor had to “explain” international refugee law to Trump when the two spoke by phone shortly after his inauguration.

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