Polar opposites in politics Trump, Merkel prepare to meet

Washington

WHEN President Donald Trump welcomes Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany to the Oval Office on Tuesday, their meeting will take on a symbolism unlike any he has held so far: The great disrupter confronts the last defender of the liberal world order.

Mr Trump and Dr Merkel are poles apart on issues such as immigration and trade; they have circled each other warily since the US presidential election. But both sides, officials said, are determined not to let this first meeting devolve into a clash of competing worldviews.

Dr Merkel has been studying Mr Trump's speeches to get an insight into the new president's thinking. US officials said that Mr Trump would ask the chancellor for advice on how to d…