Matthew Qvortrup is a professor of Applied Political Science and International Relations at Coventry University. His book "Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader" is published by Overlook. The opinions in this article belong to the author.

(CNN) Angela Merkel has been reading Playboy, she reportedly revealed to her (mostly) female entourage. Not that the German Chancellor is given to magazines with scantily clad women. But it was the only way she could get a full understanding of US President Donald Trump.

In an interview with the American magazine, the former businessman outlined his philosophy of life and his political ideas.

If Angela Merkel can be characterized by one thing, it is her meticulous preparation and her willingness to understand her opponents.

Meeting with Trump is unlikely to intimidate Merkel. She has dealt with alpha males with inflated egos before. Throughout her career, she has battled the likes of Vladimir Putin, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

All of them have tried to intimidate her. Putin infamously allowed his dog Koni into the room when Merkel visited Russia in 2007 (Merkel is reportedly scared of dogs, though Putin claims that making her feel uncomfortable was not his intention ).

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