Trump Threatens NATO Withdrawal, Calls Alliance ‘Paper Tiger’
Donald Trump stated in interviews published Wednesday that he is “absolutely” considering withdrawing the United States from NATO, calling the alliance a “paper tiger.” Speaking to The Telegraph and Reuters, Trump escalated his criticism of NATO members for not supporting U.S. military operations against Iran, particularly regarding efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks.
Trump claimed NATO members have failed to demonstrate loyalty to the alliance, telling Reuters “They haven’t been friends when we needed them” and “it’s a one-way street.” On Truth Social, he demanded countries struggling with jet fuel shortages due to the Hormuz closure develop “delayed courage” and “TAKE IT,” warning “the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated Trump has made his disappointment with NATO “clear” and emphasized “the United States will remember.”
Trump’s authority to withdraw from NATO without congressional approval remains legally contested. A 2023 law passed by Congress requires Senate advice and consent or a separate congressional act for withdrawal, with then-Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine as co-sponsors. However, a 2020 Department of Justice legal opinion states the president possesses exclusive authority over treaties. Republican Senator Thom Tillis acknowledged Trump cannot unilaterally withdraw but warned the president could “poison the well” and make NATO “functionally defunct.”
Trump has long questioned whether NATO allies would support the U.S. in crisis, baselessly claiming in January that NATO troops “stayed a little back” during the Afghanistan war. He specifically attacked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially refusing to authorize British military bases for offensive operations against Iran, which Britain deemed illegal, and mocked Britain’s naval capabilities. Starmer responded by reaffirming NATO as “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen” and stated Britain will not be drawn into the Iran conflict.
Trump’s threats follow previous statements threatening NATO defense withdrawal over Iran war funding and represent a pattern of weaponizing alliance membership to coerce European nations into supporting his military agenda. His demands that NATO members fund and participate in the Iran war, coupled with threats of abandonment, contradict the alliance’s founding principle of collective defense and constitute abuse of power through extortion of allied nations.
(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-suggests-us-considering-leaving-111420659.html)