Updated

A record 171 days after Germany's election, Angela Merkel is set to pledge for the fourth time to dedicate her efforts to Germans' well-being and "protect them from harm."

Merkel has 12 often-turbulent years as chancellor behind her. But fulfilling her oath of office may be even harder this time, with U.S. President Donald Trump declaring that "trade wars are good" and threatening German automakers, a fractious European Union seeking to shape its future and a potentially wobbly German governing coalition.

Parliament is due to re-elect Merkel Wednesday, nearly six months after Europe's biggest economy voted. The alliance of her conservative Union bloc with the center-left Social Democrats can't expect a honeymoon.