President Donald Trump on Wednesday told The Telegraph that he was open to withdrawing the United States from NATO amid his disappointment with the alliance and its members’ hesitance to aid the U.S. in the Iran war.“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” he said, when asked if he would consider leaving the bloc.
Several NATO members have either declined to let the U.S. use their bases for the Iran war. Spain has blocked U.S. use outright, while Italy prevented American bombers from landing at a Sicilian airbase. Most NATO members, including France, Germany, and the UK, have declined to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s comments follow similar remarks from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who told reporters this week that “[a] lot has been laid bare” as to the alliance’s cohesion.
“A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United States of America when we undertake an effort of this scope,” he said. “When we ask for additional assistance… we get questions, or roadblocks, or hesitation.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for his part, echoed that sentiment on Fox News this week, asking “Why are we in NATO?”
“You have to ask that question. Why do we send trillions of dollars and have all of these American forces stationed in the region, if in our time of need, we won’t be allowed to use those bases?” he added.
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.
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