After March claimed he was “humiliated”: Trump threatens to withdraw troops from Germany

United States President Donald Trump announced tonight (between Wednesday and Thursday) that he is considering reducing the amount of American forces stationed in Germany. Trump’s announcement comes amid growing tensions between Washington and European capitals and after German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz said Iran had “humiliated” the United States.

“The United States is examining and considering a possible reduction in the number of troops in Germany, the decision will be made in the near future,” the president wrote in a post on the Truth Social social network.

Germany is the center of the American presence in Europe, with 35-40 thousand American soldiers stationed there. It also serves as the headquarters of the American forces in Europe, a medical treatment center and an aircraft armament and maintenance center. About 12,000 American soldiers are stationed in Italy, and about 10,000 in Britain, and the three countries served as major transit stations for the United States Army during the war with Iran.

Trump’s threat comes after March criticized American conduct when he spoke to high school students in West Germany. The chancellor said that “it’s clear that the Americans don’t have a strategy”, adding that the US was “humiliated”, and said that “the problem with such conflicts is that you not only have to enter them – you also have to know how to get out of them”.

Trump was outraged by Mertz’s words and accused him of being soft on Iran. “German Chancellor Mertz thinks it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” the president wrote on the social network, adding criticism of Mertz’s leadership: “No wonder Germany is performing so poorly – both economically and in other areas!”.

Trump’s threat also comes against the backdrop of the widening rift between the United States and European countries. Trump threatened to withdraw from NATO following the allies’ unwillingness to assist him in the campaign with Iran.

In the New York Times it was reported that the commanders of the US military made clear to the president the risks of cutting forces in the main bases across Europe. In 2020, Trump ordered the withdrawal of 12,000 American soldiers from Germany, but Congress opposed the move, and the Pentagon was unable to complete it before President Joe Biden entered the White House.