Donald Trump Considers U.S. Withdrawal from NATO Over Lack of Support in Iran Conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO, calling the alliance a "paper tiger" in an interview published Wednesday by Britain's The Daily Telegraph. Trump said removing the United States from the defense pact was now "beyond reconsideration," according to Reuters. The remarks came after European allies declined to back U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran and refused to send ships to the Persian Gulf to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also announced he intended to repeat the threat in a speech to Americans that evening, according to Polish outlet wnp.pl. The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Trump had spoken with advisors about the possibility of withdrawal if allies did not help open the strait, though sources told the newspaper he had not issued a clear command and had not made a final decision.

Rubio calls allied response "very disappointing" U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, typically regarded as Washington's defender of the alliance within the Trump administration, criticized NATO's response to the Iran war as "very disappointing" and suggested transatlantic ties would need to be reexamined after the conflict, according to Bloomberg. Trump accused European allies of "cowardice" for saying the Iran conflict was "not our war," according to Deutsche Welle. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, writing in an article cited by Deutsche Welle, described the current situation as "the biggest crisis ever experienced in NATO," distinguishing it from past disputes by noting that this time the disagreement concerns collective defense itself — the alliance's foundational principle — rather than policy differences. Trump told The Telegraph he had long harbored doubts about the alliance's credibility.

„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.” — Donald Trump via Reuters

Finnish security policy expert Henri Vanhanen, quoted by the daily Ilta-Sanomat, said Trump's remarks "can no longer be seen as temporary frustration in the face of the war with Iran" and instead "reveals deeper tensions underlying NATO," according to wnp.pl.

Legal hurdles make unilateral exit nearly impossible An actual U.S. exit from NATO faces significant legal obstacles under American domestic law. A federal law passed during the administration of former President Joe Biden prohibits the president from unilaterally suspending, terminating, or withdrawing the country from the North Atlantic Treaty without either the consent of two-thirds of the Senate or an act of Congress, according to multiple sources including Bloomberg and Deutsche Welle. Senior European diplomats and NATO officials pointed to this legislation on Wednesday as making a unilateral withdrawal unlikely. Under Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty, any member state may withdraw one year after giving formal notice of denunciation, with the United States designated as the recipient of such notifications — meaning Trump would technically be notifying himself, Bloomberg noted. No country has ever left NATO in its more than 80 years of existence, according to ABC. European allies' deeper concern, Bloomberg reported, is not a formal exit but rather that Trump might remain in NATO while refusing to uphold Article 5's mutual defense commitment or extend America's nuclear deterrence to allies — which would hollow out the alliance without a formal departure.

NATO was founded in 1949 as a collective defense alliance in the aftermath of World War II. France withdrew its forces from NATO's integrated military command structure in 1966, though it did not formally leave the treaty; it rejoined the military structure in 2009. Spain held a referendum on NATO membership in 1986, just four years after joining, with 56.85% voting to remain. Trump declared NATO "obsolete" during his first presidency and repeatedly pressed allies to increase defense spending, bringing the alliance to the brink of crisis on multiple occasions before his return to office in January 2025.

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European capitals alarmed, Poland urges calm European reactions ranged from alarm to calls for restraint. Stefan Kornelius, spokesman for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, told reporters in Berlin that "spirals of outrage do not help NATO." Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna issued a statement saying that suggestions of withdrawal were "harmful" even if not acted upon.

„Suggestions of withdrawing from NATO or even considering such a step are harmful. Even if they are not acted upon.” — Margus Tsahkna via Bloomberg

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz urged calm, warning that NATO cannot function without U.S. participation. Joel Linnainmaki of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs assessed that Trump's threats could be "a tool to obtain concessions from Europe," according to wnp.pl. Bloomberg reported that if the U.S. did withdraw, European countries might theoretically keep NATO functioning through boosted military spending, but officials said the most likely immediate outcome would be chaos within the alliance.

„I hope that amid the emotions surrounding the US president today, a moment of calm will come. Because there is no NATO without the US, and it's in our interest that this calm comes.” — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz via Bloomberg