President Donald Trump announced on social media that the United States is "studying" whether to reduce the number of American troops stationed in Germany, escalating a dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran. The US currently maintains more than 36,000 active duty troops in Germany, its largest deployment in Europe.
Trump's statement came days after Merz criticized the US approach to the conflict, telling university students that "the Americans clearly have no strategy" and that the US had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators. Merz also suggested the entire nation was being humiliated by Iran's leadership.
In response, Trump posted on Truth Social that Merz thinks it is "OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon" and "doesn't know what he's talking about." He added, "No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!"
Merz, when asked about Trump's post during a press conference on Wednesday, said his personal relationship with the US president remains "just as good as before." He did not directly address the threat of troop reductions.
The US military presence in Germany has been a point of contention before. In 2020, Trump proposed moving 12,000 troops out of the country, accusing Germany of being "delinquent" on NATO defense spending targets. That plan was blocked by Congress and reversed by President Joe Biden.
However, Germany has since ramped up its military budget. Under Merz's government, defense spending is projected to reach €105.8 billion by 2027, with total defense expenditure hitting 3.1% of GDP next year — well above NATO's 2% target. After talks with Trump in March, Merz said the US president had assured him the military presence would remain.
The tension comes amid broader US frustration with NATO allies over the Iran war. Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the alliance, calling it a "paper tiger." A leaked Pentagon email earlier this month suggested potential punishments for allies seen as unsupportive of US actions in Iran, including a proposal to suspend Spain from NATO.
A NATO official told the BBC that the alliance's founding treaty "does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership, or expulsion."