Merz’s balancing act with Trump backfires as troop withdrawals and tariffs loom

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s careful push to balance German and European interests with Donald Trump backfired after Merz described the Iran war in a school talk, prompting Trump to condemn him and threaten to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany, scrap long-range missiles, and raise EU car tariffs. The episode undermines Merz’s year-long effort to maintain a steady transatlantic relationship while Germany grapples with domestic weakness and heightened security and economic pressures as Europe’s ties with the US grow more volatile.