Trump slams Germany, threatens troop cuts — why US bases matter for NATO, Germany and the US
Key takeaways
- President Trump is planning to cut US troop numbers in Germany.
- On Monday, Merz said the US "clearly have no strategy" in dealing with Tehran, saying "an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership."
- The German leader's words did not go down well with Trump, who quickly threatened to reduce the US troop presence in Germany.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
President Trump is planning to cut US troop numbers in Germany. How many US bases are there in the country and what's their strategic importance?
https://p.dw.com/p/5D9EKGermany hosted hundreds of thousands of US troops in Cold War times Image: Daniel Karmann/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement US President Donald Trump didn't like Chancellor Friedrich Merz's latest statements on the Iran war, that much was clear from Trump's recent rant on Truth Social, where he claimed the German leader "doesn't know what he's talking about!"
So what happened? On Monday, Merz said the US "clearly have no strategy" in dealing with Tehran, saying "an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership."