politics
April 30, 2026
Trump tells Merz to ‘fix his broken country’ in new attack on German chancellor
US president’s latest outburst comes a day after he suggested a ‘possible reduction’ in US troops in Germany
TL;DR
- Donald Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, advising him to focus on "fixing his broken country" and ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Trump also accused Merz of "interfering" with Iran policy and suggested Germany should spend less time on this.
- The outburst follows Trump's prior suggestion of a "possible reduction" in US troops stationed in Germany.
- German officials stated that troop reduction threats from the US are not new and highlighted the indispensable function of US bases in Germany for American global power projection.
- German foreign minister Johann Wadephul noted that past US presidents have also considered troop reallocations, indicating a potential shift towards the Pacific.
- Experts suggest Trump is using Ramstein airbase as leverage and that Europe must become less dependent on US support, potentially leading to less security and more instability.
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