US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, telling him to “fix his broken country.” A day before making these comments, Trump suggested that the US military presence in Germany was under review, with a possible reduction of troops under consideration. The president’s remarks come after Merz publicly criticized his handling of the war in Iran, saying the US was being “humiliated” by Iranian leadership. Speaking to university students in Marsberg, Merz said: “the Americans clearly have no strategy,” when it comes to negotiations with Iran. The US has a significant military presence in Germany, with between 36,000 and 39,000 troops assigned to bases across the country. In a social media post, Trump said that a decision on troop reductions would be made “over the next short period of time.” Trump has doubled down on his comments towards the chancellor, telling reporters that the German leader is “doing a terrible job.” During a visit to German soldiers in northern Germany, the chancellor made no mention of Trump’s comments, but emphasized the importance of the NATO defensive alliance. When asked by reporters whether he would consider pulling US troops from other European bases like Spain or Italy, Trump responded: “I probably will, look, why shouldn’t I?”
