Merz downplays clash with Trump over troops and tariffs: “I won’t change my style”

Friedrich Merz is attempting to ease tensions without retracting his positions. Speaking on the public broadcaster ARD on Sunday, the German Chancellor sought to downplay the rift that has opened with Donald Trump following Merz’s criticism of the American military intervention in Iran, a clash that led the U.S. President to insult him on social media, threaten the withdrawal of American troops from Germany, and, in the following days, suggest new tariffs on European exports, led by the automotive industry.

“I believe a good partnership includes respecting divergent opinions,” Merz stated. “I do that, and I think he does too. But, at the moment, perhaps a bit less so.”

The Chancellor admitted to questioning whether he could have handled the situation better, but categorically ruled out changing his approach. “When I see certain reactions, I ask myself what I could have said better,” he acknowledged.

It is a stance Merz defended as a conscious choice, asserting frankness as a political value: “I will not give up on the transatlantic relationship, and I will not give up on cooperation with Donald Trump.”

The issue of troops and missiles

On the military front, Merz attempted to frame the threat of withdrawing U.S. troops as part of long-term strategic planning rather than an emotional reaction to a diplomatic spat. “There is a contingent of American soldiers in Europe that Biden had stationed here on a temporary basis. Their withdrawal has been under discussion for some time,” he explained, noting that Washington routinely repositions its forces globally.

Far more concerning, however, is the matter of long-range Tomahawk missiles. Washington had committed in 2024, under the Biden administration, to provide them to Germany, but deliveries never took place and Trump has not renewed that promise. “Biden had committed to delivering the Tomahawk missiles. Trump has not done so. He has not given us that guarantee so far,” Merz admitted, while attempting to temper the political weight of the issue: “As I see things at the moment, there are objectively very few possibilities, on the American side, to provide such missile systems.”

Tariffs and trade, Merz: “The EU must accelerate”

Regarding trade, the Chancellor adopted an unusually self-critical tone toward Brussels. Recalling the agreement reached last July at the Turnberry golf resort between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Merz acknowledged that the European Union has not yet translated that understanding into a final text: “To be frank, he is partly right to be disappointed that we in Europe have not yet reached a conclusion,” he said.

This led to his appeal for Brussels to accelerate: “I hope we can reach an agreement as soon as possible,” while reiterating that Germany does not share “the fundamental view that tariffs are a good thing.”

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