Fact check: Trump wanted to pull like 12,000 for Germany last time he was in office and they were upset about it.

1. Summary of the results

The original statement is fundamentally accurate. President Trump did plan to withdraw approximately 11,900-12,000 troops from Germany during his presidency ^[1]. The plan specifically involved 6,400 troops returning to the USA and 5,600 being relocated to other NATO countries ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context are missing from the original statement:

• The withdrawal was explicitly tied to Trump's criticism of Germany not meeting NATO's defense spending target of 2% of GDP ^[2]
• At the time, there were approximately 35,000-36,000 US troops stationed in Germany ^{[3] [2]}
• The plan was part of a larger strategy to reduce US forces in Germany from 36,000 to 25,000 ^[2]
• Trump was considering relocating some troops to Eastern Europe, specifically Hungary ^[3]
• The decision faced significant opposition from:

German officials

US politicians from both political parties ^[4]

• This was part of a broader context where approximately 160,000 active-duty US personnel were stationed outside the US ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement oversimplifies a complex military and diplomatic situation:

• It omits Trump's explicit reasoning, where he stated Germany was "not paying their bills" and he didn't want the US to be "suckers" anymore ^[4]
• The statement's suggestion that "they were upset" understates the level of controversy - this was a significant diplomatic issue that caused concern among both German and American officials ^[1]
• The exact number was slightly refined to 11,900 troops, though the original statement's "like 12,000" is reasonably accurate ^[2]
• The statement doesn't mention that this was part of Trump's broader frustration with European countries and their approach to Ukraine ^[5]

This situation highlights the complex dynamics between:

• The US military-industrial complex, which benefits from maintaining troops abroad
• NATO alliance relationships
• Domestic political considerations in both the US and Germany
• Regional security concerns, particularly regarding Eastern Europe