President Donald Trump is considering reducing U.S. troops in Germany after a spat with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week.
“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 in a post on Truth Social.
Recommended Stories
On Monday, Merz said the United States was being “humiliated” by Iran, prompting Trump to question Merz’s geopolitical knowledge.
PENTAGON ASKS CONGRESS TO CODIFY ‘DEPARTMENT OF WAR’ NAME AS COSTS EXCEED $50 MILLION
“The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage.”
Merez said his relationship with the president still remained good on Wednesday before Trump’s announcement that he was considering troop reductions.
“From my perspective, my personal relationship with the U.S. president remains good,” Merz said, according to Reuters. “I simply had doubts from the start about what was begun with the war in Iran. That is why I have made that clear.”
The chancellor’s comments sparking the spat were made while addressing students at a German school on Monday.
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Merz said.
PENTAGON ASKS CONGRESS TO CODIFY ‘DEPARTMENT OF WAR’ NAME AS COSTS EXCEED $50 MILLION
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards,” he added. “And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”
Merz has backed the U.S. blockade of Iran and expressed willingness to support mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of maritime trade, contingent on an end to the war between the U.S. and Iran.
