Trump Stands By Unproven Wiretap Claim At Joint News Conference With Merkel

At a wide-ranging and occasionally tense news conference after their first in-person meeting Friday, President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed trade and border policy — and had one notable exchange when Trump was asked about his unproven claims that former President Obama tapped the phones at Trump Tower last year.

Trump declined the opportunity to retract the claim, telling the media that "we said nothing" when he tweeted, "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process," and that he was merely quoting a "very talented legal mind" he had seen on Fox News.

But first, when addressing the question about wiretapping from a German reporter, Trump told Merkel: "At least we have something in common, perhaps" — making an implied reference to the 2013 revelations that the National Security Administration had spied on European leaders, including Merkel.

Merkel did not reply.

The moment punctuated remarks that focused predominantly on trade and training the countries' workers for manufacturing in the 21st century. In his statement at the start, Trump praised Germany's apprenticeship program that trains people to join the industrial workforce.

He also took a moment to thank Merkel for Germany's continued support of the war effort in Afghanistan, and for its role as a "counter-ISIS coalition member."- NPR

Trump Stands By Unproven Wiretap Claim At Joint News Conference With Merkel

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