Berlin: She is controlled and cautious, a physicist from East Germany who takes her time making decisions and has never relished the attention that comes from being Europe's most powerful leader.
He is a wealthy real estate magnate from New York who shoots from the hip and enjoys the spotlight.
More Entertainment News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:23
A serial killer film inspired by Donald ...
A serial killer film inspired by Donald Trump
Controversial filmmaker Lars von Trier has begun shooting his next film The House That Jack Built, which he says is about life's evil and soulless nature.
Up Next
Sydney radio ratings
- Video duration
- 00:53
- Video duration
- 00:53
Sydney radio ratings
Sydney radio ratings
The numbers are in and there has been movement in the rankings across every category.
Up Next
Can Elon Musk fix South Australia's energy crisis?
- Video duration
- 02:14
- Video duration
- 02:14
Can Elon Musk fix South Australia's ...
Can Elon Musk fix South Australia's energy crisis?
Tech billionaire Elon Musk believes he can solve South Australia's energy crisis. The Feed's Jeannette Francis lays out how we got here. From The Feed on SBS Viceland, 7.30 weeknights.
Up Next
CNN presenter eats human brain
- Video duration
- 01:41
- Video duration
- 01:41
CNN presenter eats human brain
CNN presenter eats human brain
Reza Aslan, host of CNN's Believer, has caused a stir after his bizarre encounter with members of the Aghori, an extremist sect of Hindu nomads in Varanasi, India.
Up Next
Adele tells jokes as power cut at Adelaide concert
- Video duration
- 01:02
- Video duration
- 01:02
Adele tells jokes as power cut at ...
Adele tells jokes as power cut at Adelaide concert
A pulled power plug was behind the power outage at the mega star's concert, but that didn't stop people blaming South Australia's notorious blackouts.
Up Next
Casey Donovan, queen of the jungle
- Video duration
- 04:50
- Video duration
- 04:50
Casey Donovan, queen of the jungle
Casey Donovan, queen of the jungle
Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown interview the ARIA Award-winning singer after her I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here win.
Up Next
Q&A: Australian author vows never to return to US
- Video duration
- 02:03
- Video duration
- 02:03
Q&A: Australian author vows never to ...
Q&A: Australian author vows never to return to US
Australian children's author Mem Fox went through a humiliating ordeal after being wrongfully detained at LA airport. Later in the evening while the Q&A panel discussed Bill Leak and his cartoons, the show was interrupted by protesters. Vision courtesy ABC.
Up Next
Casey Donovan Wins I'm A Celebrity 2017 Australia
- Video duration
- 02:05
- Video duration
- 02:05
Casey Donovan Wins I'm A Celebrity 2017 ...
Casey Donovan Wins I'm A Celebrity 2017 Australia
Australian singer, theatre actress and author Casey Donovan has been crowned Queen of the Jungle on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! Vision courtesy Network Ten.
A serial killer film inspired by Donald Trump
Controversial filmmaker Lars von Trier has begun shooting his next film The House That Jack Built, which he says is about life's evil and soulless nature.
It is hard to imagine two leaders more different, in style or substance, than Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Donald Trump, the president of the United States.
For months, they have been engaged in an uneasy long-distance skirmish over policy and values.
Related Content
On Tuesday, they meet for the first time – a high-stakes encounter that will be watched by governments around the world for clues about the future of the transatlantic alliance, a partnership that has helped shape the global order since World War Two but which Mr Trump is threatening to upend.
"Do I think they are going to become good friends? Probably not. They are very different personalities," said Charles Kupchan, who advised Mr Trump's predecessor Barack Obama on European policy as a member of the National Security Council.
"But I do think they have a strong interest, both politically and strategically, in learning how to work together. It is arguably the most important meeting with a foreign leader of Trump's presidency."
German officials say the detail-oriented Ms Merkel, 62, has been preparing assiduously for her trip to Washington.
She has watched Mr Trump's speeches and pored over his interviews, including a lengthy Q&A with Playboy magazine from 1990 in which he floats many of the controversial ideas he is now trying to implement as President.
Members of her entourage have also analysed Mr Trump's encounters with other leaders – including Britain's Theresa May, Japan's Shinzo Abe and Canada's Justin Trudeau – and have had exchanges with some of their counterparts on how to handle the unpredictable former reality TV star, the officials added.
"We have to be prepared for the fact that he does not like to listen for long, that he prefers clear positions and does not want to delve into details," said one senior German official.
'Catastrophic mistake'
On both economic and foreign policy, the divide between the two leaders appears vast.
Mr Trump, 70, has called Ms Merkel's decision to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany a "catastrophic mistake".
He has threatened to impose tariffs on German carmakers that import into the US market and he has criticised Berlin for not spending more on defence, a longstanding US complaint that Ms Merkel has promised to address.
Another source of tension is Germany's €50 billion trade surplus with the United States.
Mr Trump's adviser Peter Navarro has accused Germany of gaining unfair trade advantages through a weak euro. Ms Merkel and her ministers have pointed out that the European Central Bank – and not Berlin – controls the fate of Europe's single currency.
Russia will also be on the agenda. White House officials have said Mr Trump will seek advice from Ms Merkel on how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For her part, Ms Merkel has been critical of Mr Trump's travel ban targeting the citizens of selected Muslim-majority countries. In a phone call in January, she explained to Mr Trump that the Geneva Convention obliges signatories, including the United States, to take in war refugees on humanitarian grounds.
Ms Merkel is also concerned that Mr Trump, who has repeatedly praised Britain's decision to leave the European Union, might continue to undermine the bloc with his rhetoric at a time of deep crisis triggered by the rise of anti-EU populist parties.
"Europe is in a very fragile, precarious state and Germany is trying to ensure that the European integration project holds together. I suspect the chancellor will want to make this clear to the president," said Anthony Gardner, who served as US ambassador to the European Union until January.
"This is an opportunity to sketch out areas of common interest, to define a positive agenda," he added. "But one meeting won't change the atmosphere on its own."
Potential for surprises
Mr Trump is the third US president that Ms Merkel, Europe's longest-serving leader, has worked with.
She established a good rapport with George W. Bush, who was keen to repair ties with Germany after his clash with Ms Merkel's predecessor Gerhard Schroeder over the Iraq war.
And although relations with Mr Obama got off to an awkward start when Ms Merkel rebuffed his request to speak at the Brandenburg Gate during the 2008 presidential campaign, the two grew close over time, cooperating on sanctions against Russia and launching negotiations on a transatlantic free-trade deal.
"The parting is hard for me," Ms Merkel acknowledged when Mr Obama visited Berlin in November, a week after Mr Trump's victory.
The German leader will be walking a fine line in Washington. With an election looming at home in September, she must avoid offering her political opponents ammunition by cosying up to Mr Trump. Neither can she afford an open confrontation that might damage German interests.
One of the biggest concerns in the chancellor's camp before the visit is the potential for surprises.
Mr Abe had an awkward 19-second handshake with Mr Trump, while Ms May was criticised in the British media for holding hands with the president during a stroll at the White House.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Mr Trump last month, he and his team spent the day before running through endless scenarios, lines of questioning and role-plays to ensure they were prepared for any scenario.
But in the end, they were still taken aback when Mr Trump spoke off-the-cuff at their news conference on the sensitive issues of settlements and a future Palestinian state.
Ms Merkel has admitted to being so uncomfortable with surprises as a child that she drew up her Christmas wish-list months in advance to avoid being caught off-guard by an unexpected gift.
With Mr Trump, she might have to expect the unexpected.
Reuters