Hours earlier, Trump had warned he may pull troops from Germany.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he said.
As of December 2025, there were 36,436 U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in Germany, the highest number in any foreign country outside of Japan, according to data from the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).
During a visit to troops at a military base in Munster, Germany, on Thursday, Merz didn’t directly address the friction but reiterated the importance of the transatlantic partnership.
“On all these [world] issues, we maintain close and trusting contact with our partners, including—and especially—those in Washington,” said Merz. “We do this in the shared transatlantic interest. We do so with mutual respect and a fair sharing of the burden.”
He added that the focus of Germany remains on the cooperation between NATO partners, an alliance Trump has threatened to leave.