Trump Lashes Out at Merz After Threatening to Pull Troops From Germany Amid Escalating Row

President Donald Trump has told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and matters within his own country rather than “interfering” with the Iran war."The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine. where he has been totally ineffective, and fixing his broken country, especially Immigration and energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran nuclear threat," said Trump Thursday morning.Hours earlier, Trump had warned he may pull troops from Germany.“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,” he said.As of December 2025, there were 36,436 U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in Germany, the highest number in any foreign country outside of Japan, according to data from the U.S. ⁠Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).During a visit to troops at a military base in Munster, Germany, on Thursday, Merz didn’t directly address the friction but reiterated the importance of the transatlantic partnership.“On all these [world] issues, we maintain close and trusting contact with our partners, including—and especially—those in Washington,” said Merz. “We do this in the shared transatlantic