But by suggesting that the Trump administration had been “humiliated” by the Iranians, the chancellor may have gone too far — risking a rupture with a president known for his vindictive streak.
While the stakes are potentially extremely high for Germany, political leaders remained relatively sanguine, noting that the U.S. needs its military presence in Germany for its own operations. Despite Trump’s attacks on Merz, many argue, military cooperation on the ground remains close and deeply integrated, and a rapid American drawdown is unrealistic.
“This is not the first time we’ve been confronted with such threats,” said Christoph Schmid, a leading defense policy lawmaker for Merz’s center-left coalition partners in the Social Democratic Party. “A withdrawal is, in the short term, simply not feasible. And in the medium to long term, it would weaken the operational capabilities of the U.S. military worldwide.”
During his first term Trump announced plans to withdraw 9,500 American troops from bases in Germany. But with less than one year left in his presidency, he ran out of time to deliver, and his successor, U.S. President Joe Biden, moved to stop the initiative.
Trump now has three years to deliver on any new potential withdrawal plan. But for Merz the greater danger may be the loss of Trump’s ear, particularly when it comes to support for Ukraine.
In the interim, Merz appears intent on getting back on Trump’s good side.
As he put it earlier this week: “The personal relationship between the American president and me remains, in my view, as good as ever.”