Trump Threatens to Pull Troops From Germany as He Lashes Out at Merz

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Trump Threatens to Pull Troops From Germany as He Lashes Out at Merz

The comments came after the German chancellor said that Iran has “humiliated” the United States.

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U.S. soldiers on a combat exercise in Bavaria, Germany.

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images

By

David E. Sanger

David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents. In more than four decades at The Times he has served as a foreign correspondent and Washington correspondent. He writes often about the revival of superpower conflict.

April 29, 2026,

7:26 p.m. ET

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President Trump declared on Wednesday evening that he is “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany,” in what appears to be retaliation for comments by Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, that Iran has “humiliated” the United States.

Even before Mr. Merz made his comments to a group of German students, the United States had hinted that it may review its troop levels in Europe, despite the continuing concerns that Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, may attempt to test whether NATO would truly come to the aid of one of its smaller, newer members, like Estonia or Latvia.

Germany is the hub of the American presence in Europe, with about 35,000 American troops based there. It is also the center for medical treatment, aircraft arming and maintenance, and the headquarters for American forces in Europe. Italy houses 12,000 American troops, and the United Kingdom about 10,000, and all three have been critical way stations for forces and aircraft flying to the Middle East to support Operation Epic Fury, the attack the United States and Israel launched against Iran.

Military commanders, already feeling stretched, have been clear about the risks for the United States in cutting troops at the major bases across Europe. But for Mr. Trump, the decision may well hinge on his feelings about Mr. Merz, a former investment banker who has nurtured a relationship with him — but who has been increasingly critical about a war he has viewed as unwise and possibly illegal.

The blowup began when Mr. Merz spoke at a high school assembly in western Germany. “The Americans obviously have no strategy,” he said, “and the problem with such conflicts is always that you don’t just have to go in, you also have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw that in Iraq.”

“So this situation is, as I said, at least ill-considered, and I do not see at the moment what strategic exit the Americans are choosing now.”

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