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Barack Obama appeared in Berlin with Angela Merkel and, making an apparent jab at Donald Trump, said, 'We can't hide behind a wall.' Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more. Buzz60

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to unveil artifacts from the World Trade Center and Berlin Wall for the new NATO headquarters, May 25, 2017, in Brussels.(Photo: Evan Vucci, AP)

Barack Obama and Donald Trump appeared in public at the same time in Europe Thursday, but reactions could not have been starker.

The former presidentreceived a rock-star welcome in Berlin, while his successor received looks of bewilderment from European leaders in Brussels.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former president Barack Obama arrive for a discussion on democracy at Church Congress on May 25, 2017 in Berlin, Germany.(Photo: Steffi Loos, Getty Images)

Here are somereasons why so many Europeans love Obama and loathe Trump.

NATO

Trump chastised his colleagues for not contributing enough to their collective defense. "NATO members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations, Trump said. "Twenty-threeof 28 nations in the alliance are not paying what they should be paying for their defense. This is very unfair to the taxpayers of the USA.

During the campaign, Trump calledNATO obsolete and that before sending U.S. troops to defend Europe, he would check whether members had met their defense spending obligations. He later backtracked on both issuesand has promised to increase the U.S. military presence in Europe.

On Thursday, Trumpnoted"the commitments that bind us together as one" and promised to "never forsake the friends who stood by our side."

Obama, who reduced the U.S. military presence in Europe before increasing it after Russia's aggression towardUkraine, never raised any doubts about the U.S. commitment to the allianceand had a more cooperative approach withEuropean leaders.

A young spectator takes a picture, alongside another holding a sign reading 'Obama can we keep you?', during a conversation event with former president Barack Obama on the topic of 'Being Involved in Democracy: Taking on Responsibility Locally and Globally' at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on May 25, 2017.(Photo: Clemens Bilan, EPA)

EUROPEAN UNION

Trump angered European leaders in January, when he told British Prime Minister Theresa May that Brexit, the British exit from the European Union,is going to be a wonderful thing for your country. The move, approved in a referendum in June 2016,would help Britain re-establish its own identity, control immigration and engage in trade withwhoever it wants, Trump said.

The reaction was harsh. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in March he would campaign for the secession of U.S. states, such as Ohio and Texas, if the U.S. president continued with such talk.

On Thursday, Trump seemed to have changed his tune. He privatelytold European leaders he is worriedU.S. jobs could be lost because of Brexit, according to local media reports.

Pro-EU Obama warned before the historic votethat if it went forward the U.K. is going to be in the back of the queue on trade deals with the U.S. The U.K. is at its best when its helping to lead a strong European Union, Obamasaid lastApril.

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, speaks to British Prime Minister Theresa May during a working dinner meeting at the NATO headquarters during a NATO summit of heads of state and government in Brussels on May 25, 2017.(Photo: Matt Dunham, AP)

INTELLIGENCE LEAKS

May on Thursday complained to Trump about crime scene photosfrom Monday's suicide bombing in Manchester, England, which were shared with intelligence agencies in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries, being leaked to The New York Times. It was the latest controversy involving intelligence leaks during Trump's presidency.

The White House said the alleged leaks are deeply troubling and promiseditwill get to the bottom of this,and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Obama also angered his European counterparts, when WikiLeaks in 2013 published documents provided by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowdenthat showed the U.S. intelligence agency had spied on foreign leaders. TheyincludedGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, who hosted Obama's visit on Thursday.Obamasmoothed things over with his European counterparts, implementing changeshe said would end U.S. spying on leaders of allies and close friends.

IMMIGRATION

Trump has criticized EU immigration policies, which the president says welcome too many Muslim refugeeswho could pose a terror threat.

In 2016, Trump told Fox Business Network: You go to Brussels I was in Brussels a long time ago, 20 years ago, so beautiful, everything is so beautiful.Its like living in a hellhole right now."

Obama sent a clear message Thursday to Trumpabout his promise to build a wall along the Mexican border. "In this new world we live in, we cant isolate ourselves we cant hide behind a wall," Obama said.

Immigration is a divisive issue in Europe that helped Brexit pass and has fueled insurgent political campaigns across the continent. However, Frenchanti-immigrationcandidate Marine Le Pen, who Trump supported, was soundly defeated for president this month.And Merkel appears to be in a strong position for re-election inSeptember, even though she welcomed 1million migrants to Germany.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Trump has called global warming a "hoax,"while Obama is a strong proponent of environmental measures to combat climate change. That is in line with European thinking on the issue.

French President Emmanuel Macron onThursday urged Trump avoid hasty decisions on a global Paris climate treaty signed by Obama in 2016.The current president said as a candidate he would abandonthe landmark pact.

Pope Francis, another leading voice for environmental concerns,on Wednesday urged Trump to change his stance on the issue, giving him as a gift a copy of his encyclical on climate change.

Read more:

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Why many Europeans love Obama and loathe Trump

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Page made the request in a letter sent on Tuesday to Reps. Michael Conaway (R-TC) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), the two congressmen overseeing the House Russia probe. Page also forwarded a copy of the letter to Breitbart News.

In this missive, Page wrote:

Given the continuation of smoke and mirrors tactics seen in recent days, I would also urge the Committee to investigate the growing evidence of collusion between Clinton campaign associates, (former FBI Director James) Comey and other former Obama Administration officials.

As you are probably aware, this began with the well-orchestrated pressure they sought to exert on the FBI to have me investigated last summer in the immediate wake of preliminary falsehoods from the 2016 Dodgy Dossier.

Page was referring to the controversial 35-page dossier on Trump compiled by a former British intelligence officer which CNN reported served as part of the FBIs justification for seeking a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) warrant to clandestinely monitor Page.

Page contends that the warrant was obtained utilizing false evidence and he has been seeking the public disclosure of information containing the justification for what he refers to as the illegitimate FISA warrant.

Speaking to Breitbart News on Tuesday, Page stated, Last years collusion between the Clinton campaign and the Obama administration whose leader endorsed her was so blatant, extensive and obvious that it might be difficult for Congressional and law enforcement investigators to know where to even begin.

In his Tuesday letter to Conaway and Schiff, Page offered to testify in an open hearing. He charged serious mismanagement of Obama Administration appointees assigned to the U.S. Intelligence Community to investigate alleged Russian interference in the latest presidential election.

Referring specifically to Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, Page writes:

Throughout recent months, it has remained unfortunate that these individuals have further contributed to the fictional narrative regarding last years events during many hours of misleading testimony before your Committee on national television.

To continue perpetuating an investigation without basis in fact for political purposes has no place in a democracy committed to the rule of law. Neither does the relentless slandering of law-abiding citizens like myself who have been denied their civil and political rights throughout this ongoing barrage of false information that has persisted as a consequence of the Clinton-Obama-Comey regimes misdeeds for almost a year now.

In testimony last Tuesday, Brennan affirmed that after viewing all of the evidence that was available to him on the Russia probe he is not aware of any collusion between Russia and members of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign.

In their book Shattered:Inside Hillary Clintons Doomed Campaign, authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes quote Clinton insiders explaining how immediately after the election Clintons team sought to place the blame for her loss on the narrative of Russian interference.

She wants to make sure all these narratives get spun the right way, one longtime Clinton confidant was quoted in the bookas saying.

According to the book, within twenty-four hours after Clinton conceded, senior campaign staffers John Podesta and Robby Mook hatched the plan to blame alleged Russian hacking as well as the news medias focus on the failed candidates private email server.

Meanwhile, on April 11, the Washington Post cited law enforcement and other U.S. officials stating that, as part of its investigation into alleged Russian collusion, the FBI obtained a secret FISA court order last summer to monitor Pages communications.

The Post acknowledged it was reporting on leaked information, highlighting that the officials spoke about the court order on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of a counterintelligence probe.

The Post further reported on the court order:

The FBI and the Justice Department obtained the warrant targeting Carter Pages communications after convincing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was probable cause to believe Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power, in this case Russia, according to the officials.

The newspaper allowed that Page had not been accused of any crimes. It reported that the FISA court renewed the 90-day warrant on Page more than once, according to the officials.

The U.S. government has not responded to a Freedom of Information Act request from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) seeking information on why Page was surveilled.

In April, CNN reported that the controversial 35-page dossier on Trump compiled by former intelligence agent Christopher Steele served as part of the FBIs justification for seeking the FISA courts approval to clandestinely monitor Page.

In his testimony earlier this month before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on FBI oversight, then-FBI Director James B. Comey repeatedly refused to answer questions about his agencys ties to Steele or the dossier, including whetherthe documentwas used in the Russia probe.

The partially discredited dossier contains wild and unproven claims that the Russians had information on Trump and sordid sexual acts, including the mocked claim that Trump hired prostitutes and had them urinate on a hotel room bed.

Steelewas reportedly paid by Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans to investigate Trump. Last month, Steele conceded in court documents that part of his work still needed to be verified.

The Steele document, which Page refers to as the Dodgy Dossier, makes the unsubstantiated claim that Page met with Russian officials as an envoy for the Trump campaign to discuss policy issues and topics related to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Page has steadfastly denied meeting any of the officials mentioned in Steeles dossier and he says he never served as an envoy for the Trump campaign.

Page and campaign

Pages role inTrumps presidential campaign has long been seemingly exaggerated in the news media.

In an interview with the Posts editorial board last March, Trump briefly mentioned Page as a member of his foreign policy advisory team. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks clarified that Pages role was informal.

Page has been cited in various news media reports as an ex-foreign policy adviser to Trumps campaign and a Trumpassociate. An article in the New Yorker recently claimed he was a member of Trumps inner circle.

In a letter to the House Intelligence Committee earlier this month, Page states that he never met Trump and that he was an informal, unpaid campaign volunteer and a very junior member of the Trump movement who didnt actually have any direct one-on-one discussions or meetings with our candidate.

Page charges that the news media has been inflating his relationship with Trumps presidential campaign in an effort to tarnish the U.S. president.

Aaron Klein is Breitbarts Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, Aaron Klein Investigative Radio. Follow him onTwitter @AaronKleinShow.Follow him onFacebook.

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Security was tight in front of the German capital's iconic Brandenburg Gate, where Obama and Merkel appeared on a podium before thousands of people attending a gathering marking the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Police helicopters patrolled the skies and snipers with balaclavas watched the scene from nearby rooftops.

After lauding Merkel as someone who had done "outstanding work," Obama launched a defense of his own presidency and the values of liberal democracy championed by both leaders.

The Associated Press Former U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appear together in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday. Citing the rise of nationalism and xenophobia in parts of the world, Obama told the crowd that "we have to push back against those trends that would violate human rights or suppress democracy or restrict individual freedoms."

In a veiled reference to his successor, Donald Trump, Obama also spoke of the need to see development aid and diplomacy as essential aspects of national security policy.

"We can't isolate ourselves. We can't hide behind a wall," he said, to cheers from the audience.

Merkel, who hosted Obama at the same spot four years ago, was due to travel to Brussels later Thursday for a meeting with leaders of fellow NATO member states, including President Trump.

Thursday's appearance with Obama was criticized by some German opposition politicians as a publicity stunt ahead of September's general election, in which Merkel aims to win a fourth term.

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Obama gets rock-star welcome in Berlin, praises Merkel

THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER - Those who idolize former President Barack Obama believe he is everything President Trump is not.

He has a thoughtful manner, and was not just professorial in lecturing the public but was indeed a former professor. Even Trump's most fervent supporters would not suggest their man has a professorial and learned demeanor. Indeed, he is liked in part because he lacks those qualities, coming across as ready to brush aside those academic niceties and get down to action.

Obama also famously disdains drama one of his nicknames was No Drama Obama whereas his successor seems to thrive on it. Comedians found Obama difficult to mock, but late-night comedy can't get enough of Trump. (This says as much about celebrity politics, of course. Celebrities flocked to Obama, and even pledged allegiance to him, yet now pride themselves on being part of the self-aggrandized #Resistance to Trump.)

In short, Obama was cool. Trump is not.

This difference has, however, led to a big mistake in assessing Obama. Because of his cool, his professorial demeanor, and his thoughtful air, supporters ascribe to Obama an enduring streak of propriety. They think him innocent of arrogance and self-regard, qualities for which they detest Trump.

But Obama's demeanor is a camouflage for an ego and a demand for attention every bit as overweening as Trump's. Throughout his presidency and since, Obama displayed his own gaucherie. An early example was in 2009 when Democrats feared they faced another 1994-style wave election they did indeed because of the deeply unpopular healthcare law they were foisting on the country. "Well," said Obama smugly, apparently to calm their nerves, "the big difference here and in '94 was you've got me." His presence, he claimed, would stop the rising tide of Republican support. Trump could not have said anything more arrogant. And, as history recalls, Obama couldn't stop the ride of GOP votes any more than he could fulfill his messianic claim of stopping sea levels from rising.

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Still Waiting for Obama to Be Quiet - Fox Nation

While most of us were getting our grill on this past Memorial Day weekend, two of the worlds most popular figures were also hanging out.

Prince Harry hosted world travelerand former POTUS Barack Obama at Kensington Palace on Saturday. The two were photographed together wearing nearly identical suit jackets and white collared shirts, a look Obama has perfected post-presidency.

Though the two were all smiles in their photo together, Prince Harry and Obama spoke about serious topics, according to the official Kensington Palace Twitter account.

They discussed support for veterans,mental health, conservation, empowering young people and the work of their respective foundations, the tweets said. @BarackObama also offered his condolences to the victims of the Manchester attack and support for those recovering from injuries.

The two have met a few times over the past couple of years and its clear they enjoy each others company:

Carlos Barria / Reuters

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Last year, the Obamas collaborated on a cheeky video for Prince Harrys foundation, called the Invictus Games. The queen herself even let out a little trash talking!

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Barack Obama Couldn't Look Happier Hanging Out With Prince ...