US president Donald Trump has threatened to pull US troops out of Spain and Italy after hitting out at Nato allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
On Thursday, he said “probably” when asked whether he would consider pulling US troops out of Italy and Spain, a day after announcing that Washington was looking at reducing the number of military personnel in Germany.
He has also said that he is considering withdrawing the US from Nato.
An internal Pentagon email, reported last week, outlined options for the US to punish Nato allies it believes failed to support American operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance.
Mr Trump, who discussed the possibility of removing some US troops from Europe earlier this month, on Wednesday said his administration was looking at cuts to US forces in Germany, and a decision would be made soon.
He has lashed out at German chancellor Friedrich Merz over his criticism of the Iran war, calling him “totally ineffective”, and threatened to cut the 36,400 US troops based in Germany.
Asked on Thursday if he would also consider pulling US troops out of Italy and Spain, two countries that have also been critical of the Iran war, Mr Trump said: “Probably … Look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
Donald Trump last month threatened to impose a full US trade embargo on Spain after the European ally refused to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
The US had just over 68,000 active-duty military personnel assigned permanently in its overseas bases in Europe as of December 2025, data shows. More than half, about 36,400, are based in Germany.
The news is the latest in a bumpy relationship between America and Europe.
Mr Trump has previously taken aim at British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer in strikingly personal terms, saying that he is not Winston Churchill” and threatening to impose a “big tariff” on imports from the UK.
More worrying for Europe, Mr Trump’s Defense Department has floated punishing Nato allies that it believes are not supporting US operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain as a member and reviewing US recognition of the Falkland Islands as a UK possession.
“It’s unnerving to say the least,” one European diplomat said this week. “We are braced for anything, anytime.”
A second European diplomat said former German chancellor Angela Merkel, who had a rocky relationship with Donald Trump during his first term, had modelled the right approach.
“We’ve all learned a bit how to handle Trump by now. You must not react immediately, you must let the storm pass, while standing firmly on your positions,” the diplomat said.
Even those who attempted flattery have faced Mr Trump’s ire, the diplomat said. “All those who tried that got their volley of insults, like the others. So everybody realises now that flattery doesn’t work either,” the diplomat said.
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