The President spent Tuesday in a series of meetings headlined by a clash with a key ally -- France -- while praising an alliance member many other NATO members are concerned about -- Turkey.
Trump was particularly critical of French President Emmanuel Macron's comments last month that NATO was facing a "brain death" caused by American indifference to the transatlantic alliance. In a morning meeting, Trump said the comments were "nasty" and "insulting." Later when the two leaders were face to face, Macron refused to back down, saying he stood by his comments.
Trump expressed gratitude toward Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite Macron's concerns over the country's recent actions in Syria and its acquisition of the S-400 missile system.
Trump said Tuesday that he was not focused on impeachment while abroad but also spent portions of his busy day telling members of the press that the inquiry was a "hoax" and sharing several tweets about impeachment.
Between tea with Prince Charles and opening receptions around London later that evening, House Democrats released findings from their impeachment hearings, which claimed evidence of Trump's misconduct and obstruction of Congress is "overwhelming" and charged that Trump's conduct toward Ukraine compromised national security.
Trump's Wednesday events
Trump's Wednesday morning is slated to begin with the official welcoming ceremony, followed by a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Trump and Merkel have long butted heads over a number of issues, and notably, Trump has pressed Germany to contribute more to defense spending as part of its commitment to NATO. Last month, Germany said it would reach the 2% spending target by 2031 -- seven years past NATO's goal date.
During last year's summit, Merkel hit back at Trump's claim that "Germany is a captive of Russia" by drawing on her own upbringing in Soviet-controlled East Germany, saying that she's "very happy that we are today unified in freedom as the Federal Republic of Germany."
In the afternoon, Trump is scheduled to take part in a working lunch with representatives of Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and the UK.
He's also slated to hold bilateral meetings with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Earlier this year, Trump canceled a trip to Denmark over comments made by Frederiksen. After Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland, Frederiksen called the idea "absurd." Trump, in turn, called the Danish prime minister's comments "nasty" and "inappropriate."
The President also said he may meet with Erdogan, but a one-on-one meeting has not been announced.
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