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April 18 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will make her second visit to the White House next week to address a broad range of challenges with President Donald Trump, officials said Wednesday. Merkel will arrive to meet with Trump April 27, the White House said in a statement. They will also give a joint news conference in the Rose Garden.
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Merkel was among the first foreign leaders to meet with Trump in March 2017 -- just weeks into his presidency -- and the pair discussed matters like NATO, the European Union, Russia and trade.
During the first meeting, Trump and Merkel expressed optimism that trade relations with the European Union can more fairly benefit both countries. The German leader also said the world must do more to address the European refugee crisis.
Merkel, Germany's chancellor since 2005, was re-elected last month.
"On the occasion of Merkel's re-election as Chancellor, the two leaders will reaffirm the German-American partnership -- a bedrock of the transatlantic relationship and the NATO Alliance," the White House said.
Merkel acknowledged the opposing positions adopted by Germany, which has taken in large numbers of refugees, and the United States under Trump, which has sought to ban U.S. travel for several of the hardest-hit Muslim countries.
Previously, Trump had said Merkel was "ruining Germany" and "made a catastrophic mistake" by allowing in more than a million refugees and migrants in recent years.
When Time magazine picked Merkel as its 2015 Person of the Year, Trump tweeted, "I told you Time magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite. They picked person who is ruining Germany."
