Last month she met Vice President Mike Pence in Munich, where he was delivering the first major foreign policy address of the Trump administration, and laid the groundwork for Friday's meeting.

As CNN notes, aides said they expected Merkel to appeal to Trump's sense of businesslike efficiency in an attempt to win over the new US leader. She's used a workmanlike attitude and droll wit to make inroads with two previous presidents. With George W. Bush, Merkel was able to cooperate on key economic issues, despite Bush's deep unpopularity in Germany. With Obama, she forged a bond so deep and obvious it was parodied on "Saturday Night Live."

Remember, we already know what the Germans think of Trump...