Trump says US “studying” troop withdrawal from Germany

Donald Trump said the United States is “studying” whether to reduce the thousands of troops it has stationed in Germany, announcing the move in a post on the social media platform Truth Social.

The statement comes just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised Trump’s approach to the war in Iran, suggesting that the US had been “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators.

In his post, Trump wrote that he is “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time.” The US maintains a significant military presence in Germany, with more than 36,000 active-duty personnel stationed across bases in the country as of last December.

Merz made his initial remarks on Monday, April 27, during an address to university students in Marsberg, where he said that “the Americans clearly have no strategy”.

“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,” he said.

He added that the “entire nation” was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership.

Trump responded the following day in a post on Truth Social, stating that Merz believed it was “OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon” and that he “doesn't know what he's talking about.”

“No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!” the post read.

When asked about the exchange during a press conference on Wednesday, Merz said that the “personal relationship between the American president and me remains just as good as before.” He has not publicly responded to Trump’s suggestion that US troop levels in Germany could be reduced.

Ramstein Air Base, located in Germany, serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force in Europe (including the unit responsible for “airlift, airborne operations, and medical evacuation”), as well as a NATO facility, according to information on the base’s official website.

In recent months, Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from the 32-member NATO alliance, describing it as a “paper tiger” and a “one-way street.”

Earlier in April, a leaked internal Pentagon email outlined potential measures to punish allies seen as failing to support the US campaign in Iran. Among the proposals was a suggestion that Washington could seek to suspend Spain from NATO over its position.

By Tamilla Hasanova