Foreign leaders are trying to wiggle their way into President Donald Trump's inner circle, the Washington Post reports.
Trump has had about 100 phone calls with foreign leaders since he won the election on Nov. 8 and has also hosted several prime ministers at the White House, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Abe, who enlisted the help of psychological experts to understand Trump, played 27 rounds of golf with the president last month in West Palm Beach. Trump told May he wanted their relationship to be stronger than the one forged between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to arrive in Washington to, in part, smooth out her relationship with Trump as the two clashed several times during the U.S. presidential campaign.
The time to start fresh is at the beginning of a president's term, says Stephen J. Hadley, who served as President George W. Bush's national security adviser.
"One of the things that people like me have been saying to foreign governments and leaders is, come early, come often. Get to know this president. Try to develop a personal relationship. Get to know his team. These folks are new to government and they will listen."
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