US President Donald Trump has escalated his verbal attacks against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), stating that instead of concerning himself with the Iran war, the Chancellor should "spend more time" trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, where he has "achieved nothing," Trump declared on Thursday via social media. Additionally, Trump suggested Merz should "fix his broken country."
Previously, Trump had apparently threatened to relocate US troops from Germany out of frustration over Merz's criticism of the Iran war. Trump later stated he would "probably" also withdraw troops from Italy and Spain.
The US President, in a message on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, told the Chancellor he needed to catch up "particularly on the issues of migration and energy." Merz should "spend less time interfering in the efforts of those eliminating the nuclear threat from Iran, thereby making the world, including Germany, a safer place."
On Wednesday, Merz had emphasized that his personal relationship with Trump remained "unchanged and good." On Thursday, Merz underscored the importance of German-American relations. At the beginning of the Iran war, the relationship between the two had been demonstratively friendly. However, the Chancellor maintained his criticism of the Iran war.
Merz had apparently provoked Trump's displeasure a few days ago with remarks made at a school event regarding the United States. "An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership," Merz said on Monday, referring to the US negotiations with Iran. He also expressed the opinion that the US "obviously has no strategy" in the Iraq war.
The US President had already sharply attacked the Chancellor following these comments, stating "He doesn't know what he's talking about!" On Wednesday, Trump then threatened to withdraw US soldiers from Germany. "The USA is currently reviewing and evaluating a possible reduction of troop presence in Germany," he wrote. A corresponding decision would be made "shortly."
During his two terms in office, Trump had repeatedly threatened to drastically reduce the number of US soldiers in Germany and other European countries as part of his criticism of NATO. Currently, around 35,000 US soldiers are stationed in Germany - more than in any other European country. Overall, the US Army maintains approximately 20 facilities in Germany, primarily in the south and southwest.
The most important locations are the Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate and the US Regional Command for Europe and Africa in Stuttgart. The US military training area in Grafenwöhr, Bavaria, is considered one of the largest in Europe. US nuclear weapons are stored at the air base in Büchel, Rhineland-Palatinate.
Landstuhl is home to the largest US military hospital outside the United States. Trump had already threatened a partial withdrawal from Germany in 2020 during his first term, wanting to reduce the number of US soldiers to 25,000.
The German government responded with deliberate composure. Merz emphasized the importance of cooperation with the US on Thursday, stating that "this transatlantic partnership is particularly close to my heart," the Chancellor said during a visit to the army in Munster. Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) said in Rabat that the German government had long been expecting a US troop reduction.
A review of US troop strength had been "clear for some time" and had been announced previously. However, the major US bases in Germany were "not at all in question." For instance, the Ramstein Air Base has "an irreplaceable function for the USA and for us."
Besides Germany, Trump also threatened Spain and Italy with a withdrawal of US troops. "I will probably do that, why shouldn't I?" Trump said on Thursday in the Oval Office in response to a journalist's question. "Italy was no help to us at all, and Spain was terrible, absolutely terrible," he added, referring to the support from allies he had hoped for in the Iraq war.
Trump had recently sharply criticized NATO allies of the USA for their lack of assistance in the Iran war and in efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz. In mid-April, he accused Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of not having enough "courage." A few days ago, there was also a media report citing an unnamed US government official about Washington considering excluding Spain from NATO.
The USA and Israel began the Iran war with air strikes at the end of February. Tehran responded with rocket and drone attacks on Israel as well as on several Gulf states and US facilities in the region.
The conflict has significant impacts on the global economy - particularly due to the effectively double blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. On one hand, Iran is blocking the shipping route in response to the war in the Middle East. On the other hand, the US military is blocking ships attempting to reach Iranian ports.
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