Donald Trump has long been critical of NATO, and now he’s threatening to pull the U.S. out of the alliance.
He is also calling out two countries that he thinks aren’t doing enough and aren’t involved in the Iran war.
”A paper tiger”
Relations between Washington and its NATO partners have grown increasingly strained amid Trump’s ongoing war with Iran, which many European allies have refused to join or support.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, Trump said he is seriously considering leaving NATO once the Iran war ends.
“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration,” he told the British paper.
The U.S. was one of NATO’s 12 original members alongside Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. Today there are 32 member countries.
During the interview with The Telegraph, Trump repeated his long‑standing criticism of the alliance, saying, “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”
Singled out two longtime U.S. allies
At the same time, Trump publicly singled out two longtime U.S. allies — the United Kingdom and France — for what he sees as a lack of support during the Iran conflict, even though neither has joined the fighting.
On his Truth Social platform, he complained that the UK “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran” and suggested that nations affected by rising fuel prices should “go to the (Hormuz) Strait, and just take it.”
He also blasted France, accusing it of blocking flights carrying military supplies to Israel and calling the country “very unhelpful.”
Trump has also criticized Britain’s naval strength, saying, “You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” and dismissed suggestions on defense spending by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “I’m not going to tell him what to do. He can do whatever he wants.”
NATO allies have already had their disagreements with Trump before. Denmark, in particular, was far from pleased when he made it clear he wanted to take over Greenland — which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
This episode added to a long list of tensions between the U.S. president and traditional allies, fueling questions about how committed America really is to NATO and its partners.
What do you think about Donald Trump’s latest statements? Do you believe NATO has a future in its current form? Share your thoughts in the comments box.
