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Trump effect forces Germany to reprioritize defense as nation plays catch-up in military spending
President Donald Trump’s continued criticism of Germany’s failure to pay its defense bills looks to have pushed one of Europe’s wealthiest nations into action.
The president’s criticism of Berlin has compelled Germany to increase funding for its military forces and infrastructure, which critics say are in a bad state of affairs.
Richard Grenell, U.S. Ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration, told Fox News Digital «multiple German leaders ignored the warnings from President Trump that Russia was using energy as a weapon against them.
US BRISTLES AT GERMANY’S DEFENSE BUDGET PLANS AFTER IT FALLS SHORT
«The war in Ukraine and the invasion of Putin showed the new German leadership that Donald Trump was absolutely right about Germany feeding the beast that ultimately turned on them,» he added.
Trump appointed Grenell as presidential envoy for «special missions» in December.
During his first term, President Donald Trump waits to greet Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 17, 2017. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In 2018, Trump rebuked Germany’s addiction to Russian gas, according to observers of German-U.S. relations. He told the U.N. General Assembly that «Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course. Here in the Western Hemisphere, we are committed to maintaining our independence from the encroachment of expansionist foreign powers.»
During his remarks, the camera panned to Germany’s delegation to the U.N. in 2018, including its then-U.N. Ambassador, Christoph Heusgen, and former Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who all seemingly laughed and smiled at Trump.
‘MAKE NATO GREAT AGAIN’: HEGSETH PUSHES EUROPEAN ALLIES TO STEP UP DEFENSE EFFORTS
However, those smirks soon turned into raw anxiety, when four years later, in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and Germany scrambled for a way to wean itself off Russian gas to avoid helping reward Putin.
Matthew Kroenig, director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, told Fox News Digital, «Every U.S. presidential administration since Eisenhower has complained about European free riding, but asking «pretty please» has not worked. Trump’s tough rhetoric is achieving results that eluded his predecessors.
«The Trump effect is in part due to Trump raising NATO burden sharing to the very top of the transatlantic security agenda and in part due to genuine fears that Washington could abandon NATO and Europe would need to fend for itself.»
Soldiers from the German Armed Forces honorary guard are pictured during a reception with military honors Nov. 4, 2024, in Berlin, Germany. (Getty Images)
After Trump and Grenell helped to cajole the Germans out of their security slumber, Berllin reached the NATO goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product spending in 2024. This was the first time Berlin reached 2% since 1991, the end of the Cold War.
Trump, however, called for Germany to spend 5% on defense because, he argues, the U.S. is contributing significant resources to protect the central European country.
The frustration with Germany and other European allies was captured in text messages reported between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.
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«I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC,» Hegseth said in response to Vance, who questioned U.S. leadership in advancing security policies in the Red Sea to counter Houthi aggression and reopen shipping lanes.
Germany’s export trade greatly benefits from free navigation in the Middle East, but it refuses to aid the U.S. in stopping the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist movement via military strikes. Europe and Germany are unwilling to follow Trump’s lead and sanction the Houthis as a terrorist entity.
Friedrich Merz, chairman of the Christian Democratic Union and a chancellor candidate, during a press conference after the federal election Feb. 24, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. (Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images)
The so-called Trump Effect has also affected the German parliament’s decision to relax restrictions on debt so it can pump funds into its military superstructure.
The likely new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party, said he would do «whatever it takes» to rebuild Germany’s frail military. Berlin’s mainstream parties aim to invest hundreds of billions of euros in defense and infrastructure. Germany’s armed forces (Bundeswehr) are, according to reports, in a state of disarray, with a mere 181,174 soldiers at the end of last year. Germany’s Defense Ministry seeks to expand its armed forces to 203,000 by 2031.
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Recruitment remains an ongoing challenge within a population raised on pacifism. After Germany started two World Wars in the last century, Germany’s power politics stressed the role of multilateral institutions like the U.N. and diplomacy in remedying conflicts.
Conscripted armored infantrymen stand at attention while dressed in their camouflage uniforms during an exercise as part of the basic training of the German Bundeswehr on the premises of the Knuell Barracks in Schwarzenborn, Germany, in April 2005. (Frank May/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
The Associated Press recently reported that Germany’s parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Högl, said, «The biggest problem is boredom. She added «If young people have nothing to do, if there isn’t enough equipment and there aren’t enough trainers, if the rooms aren’t reasonably clean and orderly, that deters people, and it makes the Bundeswehr unattractive.»
In an interview earlier this month with German news outlet WELT, the German historian Michael Wolffsohn, who taught at the Bundeswehr University Munich, said of Germany and Western Europe’s failure over the decades to address its severe defense deficits, «Now we get the receipt for everything we neglected.»
Fox News Digital sent a detailed press query to the German Foreign Ministry about Trump’s criticism that Berlin has chronically underinvested in defense and remained wedded to Putin’s gas supply after his warnings.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
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WATCH: Dem witness accuses Trump of ‘population purge,’ Kennedy fires back: ‘You trigger my gag reflex’
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David Bier, a Democrat-called witness at a Senate Budget Committee hearing Tuesday, drew a sharp rebuke from GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana after accusing the Trump administration of attempting a «population purge» in the U.S.
Earlier in the hearing, Bier, an immigration policy expert at the CATO Institute, argued that both legal and illegal aliens «are a benefit to this country» because they help to reduce the national deficit.
Kennedy ripped into Bier, asking, «What planet did you parachute in from? You trigger my gag reflex.»
Bier had just claimed that federal judges opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations «are much braver» than U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
FAMILY DEMANDS FAR-LEFT PROSECUTOR BE OUSTED FROM OFFICE AFTER SISTER KILLED BY REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDER
«They are much braver. They put their names on their rulings, and they stand behind their constitutional rulings,» said Bier.
He accused the administration of attempting to carry out a «population purge,» saying, «They’re trying to deport U.S.-born citizens, people born here, they are trying to deport them as well. So, it’s not a mass deportation agenda, it is also an agenda intended to reduce the population of the United States, including U.S.-born people.»
Earlier in the hearing, Bier had called for «more» immigrants to help address the soaring national deficit.
While being questioned by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Bier said that there are «clear reasons for believing that they are reducing the deficits and debt, they are a benefit to this country, and we need more people who are going to contribute in the future as our population ages.»
Bier said «it’s easy to understand why» immigrants reduce the deficit «because they work at 12 percentage points higher than the national average, they use less benefits because they’re subject to constraints, unique barriers to applying for those benefits, in particular Social Security and Medicare. Those are by far our largest programs, and they’re not eligible for those at all if they’re here in the country illegally or if they came legally and they don’t have a sufficient work history to qualify.»
After the hearing, Bier later told Fox News Digital that «this exchange had nothing to do with illegal immigration» and that «the question was about immigration generally.»
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED FOR ALLEGEDLY VOTING IN EVERY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SINCE 2008
ICE officers participating in a week-long immigration enforcement operation in the Houston, Texas area, which resulted in the arrests of 646 illegal immigrants. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Despite testifying in a hearing titled «Sanctuary Cities: The Cost of Undermining Law and Order,» during which members criticized the mass migration under the Biden administration, Bier posited that more immigration is a positive step for the country.
«According to the Social Security Administration, we need about 35 million more workers in order to keep revenues equal to expenses by the middle of the 2030s,» he said. «So, we are at a position right now where immigration is not going to solve it. Obviously, it’s not going to solve it, but it is moving us in the right direction.»
He praised immigrants, saying, «These are people who are showing up, they’re ready to work, they’re often prime age individuals who are ready to enter the labor force.»
«So, it’s a huge benefit fiscally to the United States to have these people who want to contribute to our country,» he added.
Bier was not the only one arguing in the hearing that illegal immigrants can improve communities. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., one of the Trump administration’s most outspoken critics, took a similar line, arguing that sanctuary policies actually lower crime, poverty and unemployment.
«Data shows that sanctuary policies actually make communities safer, healthier and more prosperous. That’s right, the evidence shows, the research shows sanctuary jurisdictions have lower crime rates, higher median household income, less poverty, less reliance on public assistance, higher labor force participation, and lower unemployment,» said Padilla.
«That’s right. It seems like sanctuary cities are helping to make America great, I said it,» he added.
FOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LINKED TO MS-13 INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MURDERING 14-YEAR-OLD BOY IN MARYLAND PARK
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Likewise, Kennedy was not the only Republican who took issue with Bier. After arguing over whether it was a mistake for Congress to ban people from entering the country illegally, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, slammed Bier as a «smug guy.»
«You haven’t answered my question, but that’s okay. You’re a smug guy, and that’s part of your shtick,» said Moreno.
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After another Democrat-called witness declined to answer the same question, Moreno criticized both, saying, «This is the best that Democrats can come up with.»
«This is the best witnesses you’ve got? A guy who can’t distinguish whether it’s okay to have people enter our country illegally. Of all the millions of people that you could have chosen to testify … the best you have is a guy who has no idea what our immigration law is, and isn’t sure if somebody should enter the country illegally [and] another guy is a smug guy who obviously has an agenda,» said Moreno.
hearings,immigration,illegal immigrants,sanctuary cities,democratic party,woke
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Un perro desenterró un pie humano de un basural y se reveló un macabro crimen que conmocionó a Chile
En la tarde del 27 de marzo de 2006, un macabro hallazgo estremeció a los vecinos de la comuna de Puente Alto, en la zona sur de Santiago de Chile, cuando un perro callejero que caminaba por un sector cercano a un basural apareció con algo extraño en el hocico.
Un joven que lo vio se acercó con curiosidad y descubrió que el animal llevaba un pie humano entre los dientes. Ese fue el principio de uno de los casos policiales más impactantes de la historia reciente del país, al punto de haber inspirado libros, obras de teatro y documentales.
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Durante los días siguientes, se encontraron más restos humanos en distintos puntos del sur de la capital, lo cual confirmó que no se trataba de un hecho aislado: alguien había asesinado a una persona y luego descuartizado su cuerpo para abandonar las partes en diferentes lugares.
Si bien la víctima tardó varios días en ser identificada, su historia generó una fuerte conmoción en la sociedad chilena.
Un crimen escalofriante
Tras la denuncia de los vecinos por el hallazgo del pie humano, el fiscal Pablo Sabaj llegó a la escena para iniciar la investigación y las primeras pericias junto a los Carabineros de Chile.
Un día después, en el mismo sector de Puente Alto, los policías encontraron la cabeza de la víctima en un estado perturbador: tenía dos impactos de bala calibre 9 milímetros, presentaba cortes en las mejillas y le habían arrancado la nariz.
El 29 de marzo aparecieron los brazos del cadáver, aunque sin las manos. Se comprobó que el asesino había arrancado la piel para hacer “desaparecer” cuatro tatuajes del cuerpo. Un día más tarde, hallaron el pie izquierdo de la víctima.
Los descubrimientos continuaron el 3 de abril, cuando dos mujeres que recolectaban plástico en una avenida de Puente Alto denunciaron haber encontrado dentro de una bolsa dos manos a las que les habían arrancado las huellas digitales.
Esa misma noche se encontró un torso dentro de un contenedor de basura en la comuna de San Bernardo. El cuerpo estaba mutilado: le habían extraído las vísceras y también los glúteos.
Mientras tanto, los investigadores avanzaron con pruebas de ADN y confirmaron que todos esos restos humanos pertenecían a una sola persona. Sin embargo, por el estado en el que se encontraban, se dificultaba la identificación de la víctima.
El tatuaje de Cupido que ayudó a los investigadores a identificar a la víctima. (Foto: 24 horas CL)
A pesar de ello, los peritos forenses lograron reconstruir las diez huellas digitales a partir de pequeños bordes de piel, que luego fueron comparados con registros oficiales. Además, hubo un detalle que se volvió clave: en uno de los brazos había quedado un tatuaje de Cupido que el asesino no había eliminado.
El 6 de abril, diez días después del primer hallazgo, la fiscalía logró identificar a la víctima como Hans Hernán Pozo Vergara, un joven de 20 años que tenía antecedentes por hurto y que había cumplido una condena en la cárcel de San Miguel.
El caso generó un gran impacto en la sociedad chilena y rápidamente los medios de comunicación lo apodaron como el caso del “Descuartizado de Puente Alto”. Se conoció además que le decían “El Rucio” o “El Julipi” y que había vivido en situaciones de extrema violencia y marginalidad.
Pozo había sido abandonado por su madre cuando tenía cuatro años y pasó su infancia en diferentes hogares para menores. Más tarde, uno de sus tíos se hizo cargo de él, pero la relación familiar se deterioró cuando el joven comenzó a consumir drogas. A los 16 años, empezó a vivir en la calle y a robar.
Mientras la Policía de Chile reconstruía su historia, una pista surgió desde otro lado. Días antes de su muerte, Pozo había pasado la noche junto a cuatro hombres en una garita ubicada en la avenida Santa Rosa, en Puente Alto. Cuando los investigadores los interrogaron, todos mencionaron el mismo apellido: Martínez.
Jorge Martínez Arévalo, el presunto asesino de Hans Pozo. (Foto: Emol)
En paralelo, los peritos aportaron otra información clave: el cadáver de Hans Pozo había sido refrigerado antes de ser abandonado. Según los estudios del equipo forense, las larvas de moscas encontradas en los restos tenían el mismo nivel de desarrollo, lo que indicaba que el cuerpo había permanecido en un ambiente frío y que habían repartido las partes en diferentes días.
Finalmente, los investigadores dieron con un sospechoso, Jorge Iván Martínez Arévalo, un hombre de 41 años que trabajaba en la Municipalidad de La Pintana, y que además era dueño de una heladería ubicada junto a su casa, en el mismo sector de Santa Rosa.
El trágico final
En la tarde del 8 de abril de 2006, efectivos del Carabineros se presentaron en la heladería de Martínez para interrogarlo. Sin embargo, al escuchar que los funcionarios llegaban, el sospechoso activó la alarma contra robos, corrió a su habitación y, después de gritar durante unos segundos, se disparó en la cabeza.
La familia del hombre rechazó esa versión y aseguró que fueron los propios policías quienes le dispararon. A pesar de ello, la Justicia determinaría después que la muerte se produjo por una herida autoinfligida.
Tras el hecho, la esposa de Martínez encontró una extensa carta de 20 páginas en la que él explicaba su relación con Hans Pozo. En ese escrito afirmaba que el joven lo extorsionaba porque aseguraba ser su hijo biológico y amenazaba con revelar ese secreto a la familia.
Martínez expresó además que, para evitarlo, había contratado a dos supuestos policías para que intimidaran a Pozo y lograran que fuera preso por un tiempo. Sin embargo, cuando comenzaron a aparecer las noticias del “Descuartizado de Puente Alto”, entendió que la situación había escalado a un nivel mucho más grave.
Hans Pozo tenía 20 años cuando fue asesinado. (Foto: Emol)
En la carta, el comerciante dijo que quienes habían realizado el trabajo comenzaron a exigirle más dinero, lo que lo llevó a dejar una prueba de lo ocurrido en ese documento.
Después de su muerte, se realizaron pruebas de ADN que descartaron cualquier vínculo biológico entre Martínez y Pozo.
La investigación continuó con el análisis de la heladería del sospechoso. Allí, con pericias realizadas con la técnica del luminol se detectó una mancha de sangre que había sido lavada. Los resultados determinaron que ese rastro pertenecía a la víctima y que su cuerpo había estado en ese lugar después de recibir los disparos.
También se encontraron restos de sangre del joven en la camioneta de Martínez y marcas de las mismas balas que lo asesinaron en el sótano de la heladería. El arma utilizada era la misma que el sospechoso utilizó para quitarse la vida.
El 14 de abril de 2006, el Servicio Médico Legal entregó los restos de Hans Pozo a su familia adoptiva y su velorio se realizó en una sede social de La Pintana, al cual asistieron cerca de 300 personas.
Leé también: La historia del joven de 19 años que asesinó a puñaladas a su vecino y declaró: “El diablo me obligó”
Un año más tarde, en 2007, la fiscalía concluyó que Jorge Martínez Arévalo había sido el autor del homicidio y descuartizamiento. Aún así, la investigación siguió abierta durante varios años para determinar si existían otros involucrados.
Finalmente, el 18 de abril de 2013, el fiscal Pablo Sabaj solicitó el sobreseimiento de la causa, ya que no se pudo comprobar la participación de terceros en el crimen.
Chile, Asesinato, descuartizado, Crimen, Sumario
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Stranded American in Bahrain recounts surviving reported Iranian strike on high-rise building, pleads for help
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As the conflict between the United States and Iran enters its second week, flight cancellations and airport closures have rippled across Middle Eastern airspace, leaving many Americans abroad scrambling to find a way home.
Stranded American citizen Yahir, who was in Bahrain when the conflict erupted, told Fox News Digital he had a close call over the weekend when an alleged Iranian drone slammed into the lower floors of a high-rise building where he was staying. The building was a luxury residential tower that reportedly housed many American tourists and U.S. Navy personnel likely stationed with the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquartered near the capital, Manama.
Yahir, from Los Angeles, said that despite witnessing terrifying scenes of the conflict and experiencing one firsthand, he is still waiting for help getting home, claiming local U.S. embassies and State Department officials have put him through a maze of logistical hurdles with no clear next steps.
«Two days ago, my building was hit,» Yahir said, referring to Fontana Infinity, located in Manama. «I was in the building at the time and, of course, the whole building shook. It felt like an earthquake.»
STATE DEPARTMENT GIVES UPDATES ON AMERICANS FLEEING MIDDLE EAST
Fire erupts from a high-rise tower in Manama, Bahrain, following a reported strike. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
«It was a shock, but it makes sense because everyone living there was American besides a few Russians here and there, but Fontana was full of American Navy,» he added.
Yahir added that he has witnessed horrific scenes of Iranian drones and missiles reportedly striking not only military targets but also civilian areas, triggering powerful explosions and sending massive plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
«We saw right in front of our faces, the drone hitting it,» Yahir said, describing the moment he witnessed a building being struck. «I remember everyone around there was crying. They were evacuating all the buildings. People were crying. It felt really devastating.»
A reported Iranian jet flies over Bahrain at night amid escalating regional tensions. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Impacts have reportedly become a daily occurrence, with some blasts feeling like earthquakes that would violently shake nearby areas.
«The interceptors were hitting the missile and the ground shaking. You’ll feel that every day at this point,» he said. «It’s been literally everyday.»
The chaos in the region has reportedly led to residents receiving numerous daily alerts of incoming missiles on their phones. Each warning forces civilians to take immediate shelter, Yahir said, recalling one instance when he had to shelter in the basement of a well-known mall, The Avenues, for more than an hour.
«At this point, I’m thinking I even get them when I’m sleeping and it wakes me up,» he said. «I feel like over ten times a day we get those alerts.»
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A massive hole is visible in the Bahrain high-rise where Yahir was staying following a strike in Manama. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
The ongoing missile strikes have profoundly affected daily life in Bahrain, turning once-bustling areas into virtual «ghost towns.»
Yahir said his friends have stopped going to work, and that shops are either fully closed or closing far earlier than usual.
He added that the heightened security presence is palpable across the country, with police stationed on nearly every corner and large military vehicles patrolling the streets daily.
PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM HELPING AMERICANS EVACUATE THE MIDDLE EAST AMID WAR WITH IRAN
A Bahrain high-rise is seen ablaze in Manama after being struck amid regional conflict. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Yahir further expressed deep frustration with the local U.S. Embassy, saying there has been little government assistance and describing the overall experience as «terrible.»
When inquiring about evacuation flights, calls to the embassy often triggered an automated message stating that citizens should not expect help from the U.S. government and that the embassies cannot assist with anything, according to Yahir.
«I feel like they need to focus on the embassies around the world because I feel they’re useless to Americans. They don’t help us at all,» Yahir said. «I just want to go home.»
Despite submitting a crisis intake form shared by the State Department, he has received few updates on evacuation plans. The delays and lack of clear communication, he said, have left him feeling stranded and anxious, with no concrete plan for returning home.
Flames and smoke billow from a high-rise building in Manama after an apparent drone strike. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
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Over 40,000 American citizens have safely returned to the United States from the Middle East since Feb. 28, the State Department told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. A spokesperson noted that U.S. authorities directly assisted over 27,000 of those Americans abroad by offering travel assistance and other security guidance.
«Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the Department of State has completed over two dozen charter flights and has safely evacuated thousands of Americans from the Middle East,» the department said. «The State Department will continue to actively assist any American citizen, who wishes to depart the Middle East, to do so.»
American citizens stranded in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are urged to complete the Crisis Intake Form on the State Department website or call +1-202-501-4444.
middle east,iran,conflicts,us
WATCH: Dem witness accuses Trump of ‘population purge,’ Kennedy fires back: ‘You trigger my gag reflex’
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