However, the situation changed rapidly since the Iran War. Several\nsharp comments from Merz\u2014who described the United States as lacking a\nclear strategy and even being humiliated by Iran\u2014provoked Trump\u2019s fury.\nThrough his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump hit back sharply:\nMerz was called \u201cnot knowing what he\u2019s talking about.\u201d He also added,\n\u201cno wonder Germany\u2019s condition is so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Military and Economic Consequences<\/p>\n
Not long after, Trump announced plans to withdraw 5,000 US troops\nfrom Germany within a year. Later, he even stated that the number of US\nforces in Germany could be reduced \u201cmuch more significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles, previously\npromised by the administration of President Joe Biden to strengthen\nGermany\u2019s defence against potential Russian attacks, was postponed.\nSeveral experts assess this move as far more serious than the troop\nwithdrawal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis delay creates a major security gap in efforts to deter Russia,\nwhich can only be closed in the future with European armament,\u201d Carlo\nMasala, an expert from the Bundeswehr University of Munich, told the\nnewspaper Welt am Sonntag.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Trump also announced plans to raise import tariffs\non cars from the European Union from 15 to 25 percent. Economist Clemens\nFuest even warned of the possibility of a new recession. \u201cThis tariff\nincrease hits the German automotive industry, which is already in a\ndifficult situation,\u201d he told the newspaper Bild.<\/p>\n
Merz himself tried to allay concerns. In a television appearance, he\nstated that the troop reduction plan was not new and denied any\nconnection to his dispute with Trump. \u201cThere\u2019s no relation,\u201d Merz\nasserted.<\/p>\n
Henning Hoff, a German foreign relations expert, reminded that Trump\nhad previously threatened even larger troop reductions during his first\nterm. In the summer of 2020, Trump even mentioned the possibility of\nwithdrawing 12,000 troops from Germany\u2014which was also seen as a form of\n\u201cpunishment.\u201d That plan was ultimately cancelled after Joe Biden won the\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
According to Hoff, it\u2019s not certain that Trump will actually carry\nout his threat this time. \u201cBecause of that, this dispute isn\u2019t as\ndramatic as it seems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
An Up-and-Down Relationship<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of Trump\u2019s second term, transatlantic relations\nhave often been strained. When Trump humiliated Ukrainian President\nVolodymyr Zelensky in front of the international public in February\n2025, Merz\u2014who was not yet chancellor at the time\u2014reacted strongly. He\nstated that some circles in America apparently no longer cared about\nEurope\u2019s fate. His main priority, Merz said, was to help Europe achieve\n\u201cgradual independence from the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
The relationship continued to deteriorate throughout the year,\nespecially after the US imposed new import tariffs on European\ngoods\u2014hitting Germany\u2019s export-dependent economy.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Merz made his first official visit to Washington in\nJune 2025. The meeting went better than expected, partly because Merz\ncomplied with Trump\u2019s wish to significantly increase defence\nspending.<\/p>\n
New Conflicts Emerge<\/p>\n
Entering the turn of 2025\u20132026, tensions escalated further. In a new\nnational security strategy at the end of 2025, the US government warned\nEurope about the threat of \u201ccivilisational collapse\u201d due to migration.\nThe document also referred to the Western hemisphere as a sphere of\ninfluence for the United States.<\/p>\n
Not long after, US special forces attacked Venezuela and abducted\nPresident Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. Merz responded cautiously, calling its legal\nstatus \u201ccomplicated,\u201d even though the operation clearly violated\ninternational law.<\/p>\n
Another controversy arose when Trump threatened to seize\nGreenland\u2014the territory belonging to Denmark\u2014even with military force if\nnecessary. However, the firm stance of European countries stating that\nthe move was unacceptable apparently made Trump back down from the\nissue.<\/p>\n
Merz\u2019s next visit to Washington in March 2026, shortly after the\noutbreak of the Iran War, was again positive. Before departing, Merz\neven said he had no intention of \u201clecturing\u201d Trump on international law.\nThat statement was welcomed by Trump, who then called Merz a \u201cfriend\u201d\nand \u201coutstanding leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, in Europe, criticism emerged that Merz was trying too hard\nto please Trump. On one occasion, Merz openly supported Trump\u2019s\ncriticism that Spain was spending too little on defence.<\/p>\n
Efforts to Ease Tensions<\/p>\n
Throughout this time, Merz\u2019s strategy towards Trump is believed to be\ntwo-pronged: maintaining good relations while occasionally offering\ncareful criticism. Europe\u2019s military dependence on the United\nStates\u2014especially in the Ukraine War\u2014is still too great to ignore.<\/p>\n
After the latest dispute, Merz emphasised that he would not give up\non maintaining transatlantic relations. \u201cI will also not stop\ncooperating with Donald Trump,\u201d he said in the Caren Miosga\nprogramme.<\/p>\n
He said there would still be several opportunities to meet Trump in\nperson this year, including at the G7 summit in France in June and the\nNATO summit in Turkey in July. The question is: Does Trump still want to\ncontinue cooperating with Merz?<\/p>\n
Henning Hoff remains optimistic. According to him, Merz has indeed\nundermined his own efforts to build good relations with Trump through\nhis critical statements. However, the German chancellor still has a\nchance to fix the situation through direct dialogue with the US\npresident.<\/p>\n
He could also offer concrete German contributions, such as helping to\nstabilise the Gulf region after the Iran War and ensuring freedom of\ninternational navigation.<\/p>\n
The deployment of the German minesweeper ship Fulda towards the\nMediterranean Sea is seen as one such signal. In addition, according to\nHoff, many members of the Party<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-ups-and-downs-of-transatlantic-relations-1778183837", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }