After hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday morning to debunk the unfavorable press coverage the visit received.
In a series of tweets, Trump also pressed Germany to pay more money to NATO.
"Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes...vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"
Trump's tweets come after what many media outlets described as a "awkward rapport" between the two leaders.
According to reports, not only did Trump and Merkel share an "awkward" handshake moment in the Oval Office, but during the press conference Trump also said the two have "something in common, perhaps" when it comes to being wiretapped by the Obama administration.
Also during Friday's press conference, Trump reaffirmed the United States' "strong support" for NATO but also reiterated his stance that NATO allies need to "pay their fair share" for the cost of defense.
Trump said many countries owe "vast sums of money" but he declined to identify Germany as one of the nations.
Prior to his inauguration in January, Trump declared NATO "obsolete" but has since modified his stance, telling European leaders the alliance remains of strategic importance. Only the U.S. and four other members currently reach the benchmark of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. Germany currently spends 1.23 percent of its GDP on defense, but it is being increased.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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