President Donald Trump said the U.S. is reviewing possible troop reductions in Germany, escalating a dispute with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over Iran.
President Donald Trump said the United States is reviewing whether to reduce its military presence in Germany, a move that would affect the largest U.S. troop deployment in Europe and deepen a public rift with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“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 wrote on Truth Social late Wednesday.
The White House did not immediately provide further details in the supplied reporting. More than 36,000 active-duty U.S. troops were assigned to bases in Germany as of December 2025, according to Defense Department figures cited in the source reports. Germany also hosts key U.S. military infrastructure, including Ramstein Air Base and the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command.
Trump’s remarks came after Merz criticized the U.S. approach to the war in Iran. Speaking earlier this week, the German chancellor said “the Americans clearly have no strategy” and suggested Washington was being “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators.
Trump responded sharply on social media, accusing Merz of thinking it was acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and saying the chancellor “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” He later said Merz should spend more time on the war between Russia and Ukraine and on domestic issues in Germany, including immigration and energy.
Merz has sought to play down the personal dimension of the dispute. Asked Wednesday about Trump’s criticism, he said the “personal relationship between the American president and myself remains just as good as before.” During a Thursday visit to German soldiers in northern Germany, he did not address Trump’s comments on troop levels but emphasized NATO and “transatlantic solidarity.”
Any reduction would carry strategic and political weight for NATO allies already navigating Trump’s frustration with Europe’s response to the Iran conflict. U.S. troops in Germany support operations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Ramstein serves as a major transportation and command hub.
Trump has previously pushed to cut the U.S. presence in Germany. In 2020, he proposed moving about 12,000 troops either to other NATO countries in Europe or back to the United States after accusing Germany of falling short on defense spending. That plan faced congressional resistance and was later reversed by President Joe Biden.
The current review comes in a different defense-spending environment. Germany is projected to spend €105.8 billion on defense in 2027, with total defense expenditure next year expected to reach 3.1% of GDP, according to the supplied reporting.
For now, Trump has announced a review, not a final decision. The next signal to watch is whether the administration follows the social media warning with a formal Pentagon plan, a timeline or consultations with Berlin and NATO allies.
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