President Trump has ordered the US Defence Department to withdraw 5,000 American troops from Germany, a move that follows remarks from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the US had been “humiliated” during the war with Iran.
The president had signalled earlier in the week that a reduction could be on the table, and on Friday (May 1st) it was confirmed that the plan will now go ahead.
The decision comes in the wake of comments Merz made on Monday (March 27), when he suggested that Iran was humiliating the US as talks to end the conflict failed to produce results.
Speaking to students in Marsberg at the time, Merz said the Iranians were “obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilled at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result”.
Those remarks came only weeks after the chancellor travelled to Washington for a meeting with the president at the White House.
Merz also added: “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”
Trump responded angrily to the chancellor’s comments, saying Merz is “doing a terrible job” in Germany and accusing him of having “problems of all kinds”, including immigration and energy.
In a Pentagon statement, spokesperson Sean Parnell said the order to remove 5,000 troops was delivered through Trump’s defence secretary, Pete Hegseth.
“This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” he said.
“We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”
Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO over the years, and his irritation has grown in recent months as some allies have declined to participate in operations tied to Iran.
Germany may not be the only European nation affected, as Trump has suggested other withdrawals could follow.
When asked on Thursday (April 30) whether he would also consider pulling forces from Italy and Spain, Trump replied: “I probably will – look, why shouldn’t I?
“Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible.”
He added: “In all cases they said, ‘I don’t want to get involved.’”
Separately, strains between the US and the UK have been building for weeks despite the “special relationship”.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Keir Starmer, though a visit involving the British royal family has reportedly helped ease tensions.