US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was firing his Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. Senator Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma was nominated as her replacement; he is set to take over the office by March 31st. Noem had recently been under significant pressure, especially because of how she handled immigration policy and disaster relief. Reports suggest that she was also sharply criticized in Congressional hearings by both Democrats and Republicans. Trump described the move as a reassignment and announced that he would appoint Noem as a special envoy for a new security initiative called 'The Shield of the Americas'.
At the same time, transatlantic tensions are increasing. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S ext{á}nchez refused the USA permission to use Spanish bases for military operations against Iran. Trump reacted to this by threatening to completely stop trade with Spain. S ext{á}nchez justified his position by citing the protection of international legal principles and warned against further destabilization of the Middle East. He emphasized that Spain would not participate in a war that it considered unjustified.
These developments were also a topic in German politics. On the ZDF talk show 'maybrit illner', Green Party politician Omid Nouripour criticized the US President's approach as lacking a clear plan. He also complained that Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not show enough solidarity with the EU partner Spain during his visit to Washington, after Trump had threatened economic retaliation.
