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Mr Trump said: "Yeah, it's funny, one of the best chemistries I had was with Merkel.” The President’s comments come after what appeared to be a snub of Ms Merkel’s request to shake hands in the White House's Oval Office last month. Speaking about the incident, Mr Trump added: "And I guess somebody shouted out, 'Shake her hand, shake her hand,' you know.

GETTY Angela Merkel and Donald Trump during her visit to the White House last month

GETTY Mr Trump believes he has good chemistry with Ms Merkel

“But I never heard it. But I had already shaken her hand four times. You know, because we were together for a long time." But the billionaire confessed he did not expect to have a good chemistry with the German chancellor, as he added: "Because, um, I'm at odds on, you know, the NATO payments and I'm at odds on immigration.” Mr Trump continued: ”We had unbelievable chemistry. And people have given me credit for having great chemistry with all of the leaders, including [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah] al-Sisi... so it was a great thing to see that happen."

Yeah, it's funny, one of the best chemistries I had was with Merkel Donald Trump

According to the Times, Ms Merkel managed to convince Mr Trump at a private dinner last month that striking a deal between the US and EU would be easier than he thought. A senior German politician told the newspaper: “Ten times Trump asked her if he could negotiate a trade deal with Germany. “Every time she replied with: ‘You can’t do a trade deal with Germany, only the EU.’

Merkel meets Trump at the White House Fri, March 17, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump has welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House in Washington DC Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 18 U.S. President Trump and German Chancellor Merkel hold a joint news conference in Washington