>
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said Donald Trump must be shown appropriate respect for holding the office of the U.S. president, even if she may differ with him on policy issues, Reuters reports.
Merkel, campaigning for a fourth term in office after a September 24 national election, has refused to bend to pressure from her Social Democrat (SPD) rivals to resist demands by Trump for NATO members to increase their defence spending.
As a committed Atlanticist, she has stressed the strength of German relations with the United States even when flagging differences in opinion on policy.