VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The issue that the United States would withdraw some of its troops from Germany became real. Calling the German Government acting naughty, US President Donald Trump, Monday, June 15, 2020, said he would withdraw US troops from Germany. In his statement at the White House, Trump said he would reduce the number of troops to just 25 thousand. Data shows that so far the United States has around 38,000 troops in several regions of Germany.

In addition to considering the large costs of mobilizing troops in Germany, Donald Trump cited German weak commitments as another reason. Trump uses the term naughty for the policy of Angela Merkel government who does not meet commitment to use two percent of the country’s GDP for the defense sector as required by NATO. Since the end of the second world war, the United States has incurred huge costs to place its troops in Germany. Donald Trump's complaint was not only conveyed to Angela Merkel, but also to other Nato member countries.

Whatever the reason Donald Trump reduces the number of US troops in Germany, criticism has arisen. Not only from Germany, but also from domestic political opponents. The NATO alliance states that Trump's decision shows the weak commitment of his administration to work with NATO and other European countries. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas indicated increasingly complicated relations between the United States and Germany since Donald Trump became President. However, Trump's decision was welcomed positively by the leftist party in Germany who wanted a complete withdrawal of US troops from Germany.

The decision also reinforced criticism of Trump at home, even from the Republicans themselves. Republicans had previously reminded Trump that the withdrawal of troops from Germany and Europe would bring the security consequences that Russia and China could cause. Trump's steps may have consequences for his re-election as President. Especially following the antipathy of some people in the United States due to his response to the death of George Floyd. However, the eyes of the world still have to wait until the time comes.