Merz Gifts Trump Replica Of 1785 Us-prussia Trade Treaty, Rejects Spain Trade Threats

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Bernama-dpa) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the ongoing US-EU trade tensions by presenting US President Donald Trump with a replica of a 1785 friendship and trade treaty between the United States and Prussia, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Merz, who met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, said the treaty was the first international trade agreement signed between the US and a third country, in this case Prussia.

On July 4, 1776, the British colonies declared their independence from the United Kingdom, paving the way for the founding of US.

During their first meeting in June 2025, Merz had given Trump a gold-framed copy of a historical birth certificate of Trump's grandfather and invited him to visit his ancestral hometown, a small village in south-west Germany.

Trump had also received a golf club engraved with the flags of Germany and the US.

Separately, Merz on Tuesday firmly rejected threats from Trump to cut economic ties with Spain.

"I told him very clearly: You cannot conclude an isolated agreement with Germany, or an agreement with all of Europe but excluding Spain. We are all in the same boat here," Merz told German broadcaster ARD after meeting Trump at the White House.

Trump had publicly criticised Madrid during the meeting, saying some European countries, including Spain, had behaved poorly amid US strikes on Iran. Trump said Spain had denied permission to use its military bases and threatened that the US could halt trade with the country in response.

Merz underscored that Spain is a member of the European Union and any trade negotiations with the US must be conducted collectively or not at all. He stressed there was no way to single out Spain for punitive treatment.

Trade negotiations on the EU single market are handled by the European Commission on behalf of all 27 member states. Individual countries like Germany cannot negotiate independent agreements with third countries such as the US.

— BERNAMA-DPA