Deirdre Shesgreen

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Trump complained about the media — and Germany — in a pair of Saturday morning tweets blasted out less than 24 hours after his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Trump attacked the media's coverage of his tete-a-tete with Merkel, which some reports portrayed as awkward and frosty.

“Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel,” Trump tweeted shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday.

But Trump quickly pivoted from that message to a jab at Germany — reprising his gripe that Germany owes “vast sums” to NATO and demanding the U.S. be paid for its “very expensive” defense of the European ally.

Trump has often called on Germany and other NATO countries to contribute more to that military alliance, which he has also dismissed as "obsolete" in the current fight against terrorism.

Some foreign policy experts took issue with Trump's assertions about contributions to NATO. Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, took to Twitter to argue that Trump didn't seem to understand how the alliance works.

"US does provide large military commitment to NATO. But this is not a favor to Europe. It is vital for our own security," Daalder tweeted. "All NATO countries, including Germany, have committed to spend 2% of GDP on defense by 2024."

Daalder said America's contribution to NATO is not to help pay for Germany's defense or that of other European allies. "It is part of our treaty commitment," he noted.

At a joint news conference on Friday with Trump, Merkel said Germany is increasing its contributions to NATO, and that the alliance is vital to security missions across the globe.

Contributing: David Jackson

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