FILE – President Donald Trump meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz within the Oval Workplace on the White Home, March 3, 2026, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday leveled a brand new risk towards NATO ally Germany, suggesting he might quickly scale back the U.S. navy presence there as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the usIsrael battle towards Iran.
Trump made the risk after Merz earlier this week mentioned that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian management and criticized Washington’s lack of technique within the battle. Trump has additionally repeatedly railed towards NATO for the alliance’s refusal to help the U.S. in its two-month-old battle.
“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 mentioned in a social media submit.
Merz had mentioned earlier Wednesday that his private relationship with Trump remained “as good as ever,” however he had “had doubts from the very beginning about what was started there with the war in Iran.”
Throughout his first time period within the White Home, Trump additionally moved to chop U.S. troops in Germany as a result of he mentioned the nation spent too little on protection.
In June 2020, Trump introduced he was going to tug out about 9,500 of the roughly 34,500 U.S. troops who had been then stationed in Germany, however the course of by no means really began. Democratic President Joe Biden formally stopped the deliberate withdrawal quickly after taking workplace in 2021.
The U.S. has a number of main navy amenities within the nation, together with the headquarters for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Middle, the biggest American hospital outdoors the USA.
Merz met with Trump on the White Home in March, simply days after the U.S. and Israel started their bombardment of Iran. On the time, Merz informed Trump that Germany was desirous to work with the U.S. on a technique for when the present Iranian authorities now not exists. Merz additionally expressed concern that an prolonged battle might do nice injury to the worldwide economic system.
His concern, like many different European leaders, has solely grown because the U.S. and Iran have but to come back to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the essential waterway by means of which about 20% of the world world oil provide had flowed previous to the beginning of the battle. It has been successfully closed for the reason that battle started on Feb. 28.
“We are suffering considerably in Germany and in Europe from the consequences of, for example, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Merz mentioned Wednesday, hours earlier than Trump posted his risk on social media. “And in that regard, I urge that this conflict be resolved.”
Merz added that his authorities was “on good speaking terms” with the Trump administration.
Trump, for his half, has hardly been containing his frustration with Merz.
On Tuesday, he wrote: “The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Trump added that it was no shock “that Germany is doing so poorly, both economically and in other respects!”
