Donald Trump has again lashed out at Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, saying he should focus on “fixing his broken country” and trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war – and spend less time “interfering” in Iran.
Trump’s latest outburst came a day after he suggested the US military presence in Germany was being reviewed, with a “possible reduction” of troops under consideration. Then on Thursday, the president was baited into saying he may consider withdrawing troops from other US bases in Europe.
During an Oval Office event for correspondents from partisan, rightwing outlets, Trump was asked if he would consider withdrawing troops from bases in Spain and Italy, over their unwillingness to get involved in his ruinous war on Iran.
“Yeah, probably,” the president replied. “Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
Trump claimed that when the US “needed them, they were not there,” then added that the US actually “didn’t need any help with Iran”.
German officials were keen to dampen the row. Throughout Thursday they were at pains to point out the threats from the US to withdraw troops from German soil were far from new – Trump had made them during his first term in office – and they were ready for them.
Trump tells Merz to ‘fix his broken country’ in new attack on German chancellor
Trump’s comments appear to have been prompted by Merz’s unusually blunt comments earlier this week, when the chancellor said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and criticised Washington for having no exit strategy from the war.
On Thursday, Merz sought to strike a more conciliatory tone at a visit to a German military base in Münster, emphasising the importance of ties with Nato and the US, and criticising Iran for refusing to take part in peace negotiations.
Hegseth ‘dangerously exaggerated’ US military triumph in Iran, Senate hears
Pete Hegseth has failed to give Donald Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph, a senior Democrat told a Capitol Hill hearing.
Trump signs bipartisan bill ending longest-ever shutdown of DHS
Donald Trump swiftly signed bipartisan legislation on Thursday after the US House of Representatives voted to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security – excluding immigration enforcement operations – and end the longest government agency shutdown in history.
The agreement aims to draw a line under a 75-day impasse that had threatened airport chaos and exposed fresh strains within the Republican party.
States rush to redraw congressional districts to gut Black voting power
Southern states are scrambling to redraw congressional districts in response to the supreme court’s Wednesday ruling that severely weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act, which protected against racial discrimination in drawing voting maps.
FCC chair denies ABC license review is related to Kimmel controversy
Brendan Carr, the Trump-picked chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), denied speculation that the agency is forcing ABC to apply early to renew licenses for its eight owned and operated local television stations as punishment for an ill-timed joke made last Thursday by the late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
Democrats say EPA head’s budget proposal ‘reads like climate change deniers’ manifesto’
Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of abandoning the Environmental Protection Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment at a congressional hearing Wednesday, slamming agency leadership over a proposal to cut its budget in half.
US court refuses to hear Trump’s appeal of E Jean Carroll $83m defamation case
A federal appeals court has announced it will not grant a rare meeting of its active judges to hear an appeal of the $83m civil case verdict against Donald Trump for defaming magazine advice columnist E Jean Carroll over a forced sexual encounter three decades ago.
Trump administration move to reclassify cannabis sparks confusion
The Trump administration is making good on its promise to reschedule cannabis, but only partially – raising plenty of questions for those in the cannabis industry.
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, signed an order last week that removes products sold under state medical cannabis licenses and FDA approved cannabis products from schedule I – defined as substances with no accepted medical use, to schedule III – which includes legal but regulated substances including certain doses of Tylenol with codeine and ketamine.
Let the whisky flow
In a gesture of diplomatic friendliness after King Charles’s visit to the White House, Donald Trump said the US would be removing all tariffs on whisky imports.
“In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon,” Trump said in a post on social media.
What else happened today:
The voting rights advocates who fought for majority-minority districts across the US south are organizing their next steps after the supreme court effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday and eviscerated much of the work of the civil rights era.
Janet Mills, the Maine governor, on Thursday dropped her bid for the US Senate just weeks before the Democratic primary in a race that reflected an internal party debate over how to win one of this year’s most competitive Senate seats.
US gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated 2% in the first three months of 2026, though consumer spending is slowing as the war with Iran continues to impact energy prices.
The US justice department has rolled back several significant restrictions on guns, including reinstating the so-called “gun show loophole”, which allowed people at such events to buy firearms without a background check.
Camp Mystic, the Christian summer camp in Texas where 27 campers and counselors died in a catastrophic flood last year, has halted plans to reopen this summer, after months of intensifying pressure and outrage by state leaders and victims’ families.
Catching up? Here’s what happened Wednesday 29 April.
