Trump looking forward to welcome Merkel to White House

President Donald Trump will hold his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday since becoming President.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Friday said President Trump is looking forward to welcoming Chancellor Merkel to the White House on Tuesday.

Asserting that the level of interaction between the Trump administration and the German government has so far been frequent and robust, Spicer recalling some of those interactions said, Vice President Pence had met the Chancellor last month in Munich, and the German foreign and defense ministers were here last month as well.

He added that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Bonn for the G20 Foreign Ministerial last month, and Secretary of Defense Mattis and Homeland SecretaryKelly attended the Munich Security Conference.

Expressing Trump administration's happiness over the level of interaction between the two countries so far, Spicer said, "When he meets the Chancellor, the President will express his and the American people's appreciation for the deep friendship that exists between the United States and Germany. We share so much history, and the bonds between our people are strong. Germany is one of our most important allies and partners in the world, and we cooperate with the Germans on everything from counterterrorism to European security to generating strong economic growth."

Spicer said Germany is one of NATO's strongest member states, and the President looks forward to talking with the Chancellor about how to strengthen the NATO alliance, including by ensuring that all allies shoulder the proper share of the burden for maintaining our collective defense.

"President is impressed by Chancellor Merkel's leadership at a time when the states of the North Atlantic face a number of significant challenges, and he looks forward to consulting with her on our shared challenges," he said.

Spicer further said that Germany plays a central role in the global effort to counterterrorism and violent extremism, particularly through its contributions to the counter-ISIS coalition.

"The United States is committed to strengthening our political defense, security and economic relationship with Germany and with Europe more broadly. We will continue to stand together with the German people, and we are looking forward to Chancellor Merkel's visit on Tuesday," Spicer said.