Trump says he's pulling U.S. troops from Germany. Does it matter?
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 4 May 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
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Summary
Today, about 36,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Germany, and they’re a key part of the U.S. military ecosystem and the NATO alliance.
Now, President Trump plans to reduce that number.
Trump has grown increasingly and publicly frustrated with NATO allies.
This time he’s taking it out on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the U.S. has been humiliated by Iran.
Among the many questions raised by this: What are U.S. troops doing in Germany anyway?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, it's Mary Louise Kelly. Real quick, before we start the show today, a reminder that we just celebrated public media giving days here at NPR. And of course, NPR is public media, non-profit, independent, freely available to everyone. That's you. We're also supported by you, the public, including listeners like Libby in Washington, a recent NPR donor who says, in this world full of noise, public media stands as a beacon of clarity, storytelling, and essential journalism. It's not just about radio or podcasts. It's about ensuring that everyone has access to the information they need to be engaged citizens. |
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| 0:55.6 | at donate.npr.org. Now back to the show. |
| 1:05.1 | It's consider this, where every day we go deep on one big news story. Today, the U.S. military alliance with Germany. |
| 1:14.3 | American troops have been stationed there since the end of World War II. It is still home to the biggest U.S. military footprint in Europe. |
| 1:22.8 | Rhinemine Air Base, which closed in 2005, served as an important hub for treating U.S. troops during the |
| 1:29.1 | Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. In 1981, that same Air Force Base was the setting for the |
| 1:35.9 | joyful return of the 52 American hostages who had been held hostage for 44 days by Iranian |
| 1:43.4 | militants. |
| 1:47.2 | And then the Americans took their first steps into freedom. |
| 1:55.7 | Today, about 36,000. U.S. troops are stationed in Germany, and they're a key part of the U.S. military ecosystem, and they're a key part of the U.S. military ecosystem and the NATO alliance. |
| 2:02.4 | Now, President Trump plans to reduce that number. |
| 2:05.6 | We're going to cut way down, and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000. |
| 2:09.3 | Trump has grown increasingly and publicly, frustrated with NATO allies. |
| 2:14.2 | This time, he's taking it out on German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, who said the U.S. |
| 2:19.7 | has been humiliated by Iran. Consider this. Trump is once again threatening NATO allies. |
| 2:26.6 | What would a reduction of U.S. troops in Germany mean for security and the U.S. military? |
| 2:37.2 | From NPR, I'm Mary Louise Kelly. |
| 2:47.1 | It's consider this from NPR. |
| 2:50.2 | German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz finds himself in a spat with President Trump. |
| 2:54.6 | The spat started when Germany, along with other European countries, refused to help the U.S. with the war with Iran. |
... |
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