News blog about US politics
Trump attacks Merz: “He should take care of his broken country”
Updated April 30, 2026 – 7:45 p.mReading time: 10 minutes
Trump steps up against Merz. The Iran war is costing the USA billions of dollars. All developments in the news blog.
The US Congress has agreed on a budget for the Department of Homeland Security, putting an end to a 75-day partial government shutdown. The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday for a budget bill that had already passed the Senate. It does not provide any additional money for the controversial immigration and border protection authorities under the Department of Homeland Security.
Will there be a reduction in US troops in Germany? President Trump is threatening an imminent decision – it could have far-reaching consequences. Read the full article here.
Donald Trump attacked Friedrich Merz again. The US President wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday: “The Chancellor of Germany should care more about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine (at which he was completely incompetent!) and about his broken country, especially when it comes to immigration and energy, and less about getting in the way of those who are getting rid of the Iranian threat and thereby making the world, including Germany, safer.”
Trump’s sharp criticism comes just a day after he threatened to withdraw US troops from Germany. The President had announced a corresponding review and a decision should be made shortly. Trump had already sharply attacked the Chancellor on Tuesday. “He has no idea what he’s talking about!” the Republican wrote about Merz on Truth Social. Already at this point, Trump claimed that “Germany is doing so badly, both economically and in other respects!”. He accused Merz of agreeing that Iran had nuclear weapons and praised his own actions.
Judging by Trump’s statements, the personal relationship between the two seemed to have reached a new low. However, Merz countered this impression on Wednesday at a press conference in Berlin. “The personal relationship between the American president and me remains good – at least from my point of view,” he said. “We are still in good discussions with each other.”
Almost 300 nominations were received for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Institute announced on Thursday in Oslo that 208 personalities and 79 organizations were nominated. Who was recommended for the coveted award was not announced – according to the statutes, the names of the nominees remain secret for 50 years.
