President Donald Trump said he is weighing a potential withdrawal of the United States from NATO, escalating criticism of allied countries over their response to the ongoing Iran conflict. The remarks came in an interview published on Wednesday, and it’s raising fresh questions about the future of the alliance.
Speaking to British newspaper The Telegraph, Trump said when asked if he was reconsidering the US' membership to the alliance following the Iran conflict: “Oh yes, I would say (it’s) beyond reconsideration… I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way.”
The comments follow frustration from the president over what he sees as a lack of military support from NATO members after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively shut down. The waterway is a key global oil route, and allied countries have hesitated to deploy forces to reopen it after strikes by the US and Israel.
Trump also posted on Truth Social earlier this week, telling allies struggling with fuel shortages to “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.” He added: “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
NATO operates under a collective defense principle, with Article 5 stating that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. The clause has only been invoked once, after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Following that, more than 1,100 non-US troops were killed in Afghanistan as allied nations joined US-led operations.
Despite that history, Trump has repeatedly questioned whether NATO partners would support the US in a future conflict. In the same interview, he said: “Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey,’ you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic.”
“We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.”
Trump also targeted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, criticizing the United Kingdom’s military capabilities and energy policy. “You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” Trump said.
“I’m not going to tell him what to do. He can do whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter. All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof,” he added.
Starmer responded by reaffirming support for NATO, calling it “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen.” He also said the UK would not “get dragged into” the conflict with Iran.
Speaking to British newspaper The Telegraph, Trump said when asked if he was reconsidering the US' membership to the alliance following the Iran conflict: “Oh yes, I would say (it’s) beyond reconsideration… I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way.”
The comments follow frustration from the president over what he sees as a lack of military support from NATO members after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively shut down. The waterway is a key global oil route, and allied countries have hesitated to deploy forces to reopen it after strikes by the US and Israel.
Trump also posted on Truth Social earlier this week, telling allies struggling with fuel shortages to “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.” He added: “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
NATO operates under a collective defense principle, with Article 5 stating that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. The clause has only been invoked once, after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Following that, more than 1,100 non-US troops were killed in Afghanistan as allied nations joined US-led operations.
Despite that history, Trump has repeatedly questioned whether NATO partners would support the US in a future conflict. In the same interview, he said: “Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey,’ you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic.”
“We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.”
Trump also targeted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, criticizing the United Kingdom’s military capabilities and energy policy. “You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” Trump said.
“I’m not going to tell him what to do. He can do whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter. All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof,” he added.
Starmer responded by reaffirming support for NATO, calling it “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen.” He also said the UK would not “get dragged into” the conflict with Iran.
