'We're gonna cut way down': Trump suggests US will remove more than 5,000 troops from Germany
US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have been involved in a growing row over the war in Iran.
Donald Trump has suggested the US could withdraw even more troops from Germany than originally announced, following his fallout with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
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Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach on Saturday, the US president was asked about withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, to which he said: "We're gonna cut way down, and we're gonna cut a lot further than 5,000."
President Trump had threatened a removal of forces earlier this week after sparring with Chancellor Merz, who said on Monday the Iranians were humiliating the US in talks to end the war.
Mr Trump was also asked if he could envision a future where American energy companies are operating inside of Iran.
He said, they "could be", and added: "We have a lot of ships coming up to Texas and Louisiana. It's a line of ships. You saw the satellite. We have a line of ships, big ones, two million barrels. And they're coming up. I mean, literally hundreds of ships are in line to go to Texas. They've already started. But we're selling a lot of oil. A lot of oil."
Germany plays host to the US's biggest basing location in Europe, with around 35,000 active duty personnel.
Germany's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, told reporters that it was "in our interest and in the interest of the United States," but added: "It was foreseeable that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, including Germany.
"We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our security."
Trump has also indicated he plans to reduce Washington's military presence in Italy and Spain.
Poland's prime minister has weighed in on the state of the transatlantic alliance, warning NATO is threatened by "the ongoing disintegration of our alliance".
Donald Tusk wrote on X: "The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend."
The Pentagon said the reduction would bring US troop levels in Europe back to roughly pre-2022 levels, before Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a buildup by then-President Joe Biden.
Trump has singled out Germany even as he has harshly criticised other NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.
The global waterway, a critical chokepoint for oil shipments, has remained virtually shut, causing market turmoil and unprecedented disruption in energy supplies.
Merz has said Germans and Europeans were not consulted before the US and Israel started attacking Iran back in February, and that he had conveyed his scepticism about the conflict directly to Trump afterwards.
"The president has been very clear about his frustrations about our allies' rhetoric and failure to provide support for U.S. operations that benefit them," the senior Pentagon official said.