On his last visit to Germany as President, Barack Obama reassured Chancellor Angela Merkel: Donald Trump is committed to the NATO Alliance. But the two leaders also issued a statement on climate change, free trade, international "norms" and Vladimir Putin's Russia.
It's being construed as a "joint rebuttal" of some controversial positions Trump's taken during his campaign and since the election. With the rise of right-wing populism and a new generation of strongmen, will Merkel become the leading defender of European Unity and democratic values?