Drama as Donald Trump meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Twitter reacts

US president, Donald for the first time since he became president, meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the White House on Friday in what everyone would have expected to be a cool affair but Trump ruined it when he ignored Merkel and refused to shake hands with her at her request before calling a German press outlet "fake news". 


In the past, Merkel has been openly critical of Trump’s travel ban, while Trump in turn has tweeted that Merkel was “ruining Germany”.

The awkward moment came when photographers had asked Merkel and Trump to shake hands in the Oval Office, with Merkel then leaning quietly to ask Trump, “Do you want to have a handshake?” and all through, Trump appeared to find it difficult to bring himself to look at the German chancellor. 

Trump then went further to provoke a look of disbelief when he told Merkel that they have something in common in a repeat of his allegations that President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones.

"We have that in common," he told Merkel.

Later, at a joint news conference, Trump rejected the notion in Europe that his "America First" agenda means he's an isolationist, before calling such a suggestion "another example of fake news".

He then made another blunder when he referred to the US as "a very powerful company" before quickly correcting that to "country."

Meanwhile Twitter users have expressed their disbelief and embarrassment over what went on with one pundit describing it as the "most remarkable/bizarre press conference between two allies I've ever seen"