“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,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday.

• He was responding to an accusation by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week that the U.S. lacks a clear strategy in Iran and has been “humiliated.”

America has built up Germany as a strategic hub for all of nato. The presence of American troops is estimated to bring in around $2-5 billion in spending, supports 60,000 to 80,000 jobs, relieves the need for Germany to spend as much on its military as it would otherwise need to, and provides an important counter to Russia.

• If President Trump follows through on his threat, the Germans would take a strategic and financial hit. But perhaps they don’t mind, because they are already ready for what comes next, and breaking with the U.S. is worth it.

President Trump has threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany before, even in his first term, when he accused Germany of not contributing its fair share to nato.

• The president may think he is punishing Merz, but he forgets why the troops are there in the first place. It wasn’t just to deter the Soviets from invading. It was to ensure the demilitarization and denazification of Nazi Germany.

The German war machine is rapidly being rebuilt. The withdrawal of U.S. troops would turbocharge the process and signal a major break with America. There would be little to stop Germany from shifting its alliances and turning that war machine against America, just as Herbert W. Armstrong warned for decades.