Trump may cut US troops in Germany after Merz’s ‘humiliating’ Iran comment
The German chancellor has drawn the US president’s ire with his remarks about Tehran besting Washington at the negotiating table
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said on social media.
The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service, although the number is now believed to be higher with German media saying it’s nearer 50,000.
During both of his terms in office, Trump has made a number of threats to slash US troop numbers in Germany and other European allies as part of his criticism of the Nato alliance.
But Washington now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the US-Israeli war in Iran or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Hours before Trump’s post about troop numbers in Germany, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.