Donald Trump has announced that the US may reduce its troop presence in Germany, just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested America was being "humiliated" by Iran in negotiations. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said his administration was "studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time."
This latest transatlantic spat began when Merz noted that the Iranians are "obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result." Trump, never one to let a slight slide, accused Merz of thinking it's "OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and declared the chancellor "doesn't know what he's talking about!" Merz brushed off the comments, insisting his relationship with Trump remains "as good as ever," but the threat to withdraw troops is likely to cause concern in Berlin and across Europe.
The US has over 68,000 active-duty military personnel in Europe, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. Germany hosts the largest contingent, with more than 35,000 troops in 2024 per the Congressional Research Service (German media puts the number closer to 50,000). The threat comes amid heightened tensions between the US and its traditional allies, with Trump having threatened to withdraw from NATO entirely on April 1, citing European failure to participate in the US-Israeli war on Iran and secure the Strait of Hormuz. While US legislation passed in 2024 prevents a withdrawal without a two-thirds Senate majority, experts suggest Trump could instead take actions that undermine the alliance without an outright exit - like, say, pulling troops out of Europe.
Ivo Daalder, US permanent representative at NATO from 2009 to 2013, summed up the mood: "It's hard to see how any European country will now be able and willing to trust the United States to come to its defence." Hours before Trump's troop post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul about Iran and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. In a separate development, Trump said he spoke with Vladimir Putin and suggested "a little bit of a ceasefire" in Ukraine - presumably just enough to take a breather from all the alliance drama.