Trump Displays Warmth for Merkel at White House Despite Differences

Germany’s chancellor talked about Iran, trade and military funding with the U.S. president.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany described the Iranian nuclear deal as a “building block” and part of a “mosaic” needed to contain Tehran, becoming Friday the second major U.S. ally in a week to lobby President Donald Trump inside the White House about the merits of the pact.

Ms. Merkel also sought to reassure Mr. Trump on trade and military spending, saying that Germany would boost military funding and signaling a new openness to the kind of bilateral-trade agreements that the U.S. president has said he favors.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the Iran deal and signaled an openness to a parallel deal during a visit earlier this week with President Emmanuel Macron of France. On Friday, Mr. Trump spoke about the need to keep Iran from building a nuclear weapon but also stopping its proliferation of missiles and support for terrorism.

“They will not be doing nuclear weapons,” Mr. Trump said about Iran. “You can bank on it.”

Mr. Trump reserved his tough talk for Iran, as he displayed a new warmth for Ms. Merkel. The pair have had an awkward relationship, including a visit last year when Mr. Trump didn’t shake her hand during a photo op. Ms. Merkel has had a sharp response to Mr. Trump’s “America first” policies, saying that the days when Europe could count on its allies were “over to a certain extent.”

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):