President Trump congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call Thursday on winning her fourth term — four days after the election.
The White House said Mr. Trump also called to “wish her well in the formation of her fourth government.”
The anti-immigration nationalist party won 13 percent of the vote, winning seats in parliament for the first time in more than 50 years and becoming the third-largest block behind Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and its sister party Christian Social Union.
The president has criticized her in the past for being too lenient with Germany’s immigration policies.
The White House said the two leaders discussed “how to counter Iran’s malign activities in the Middle East, and addressed the nuclear deal and Iran’s missile program, and its non-compliance with relevant United Nations resolutions.”
They also agreed on the “importance of achieving the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the statement said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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