Trump’s NATO ultimatum: “Disgusted” by allies’ lack of support

US President Donald Trump has threatened to pull the United States out of NATO, describing the alliance as a “paper tiger” and criticizing European allies for failing to support US actions against Iran. 

“I’ll be discussing my disgust with NATO,” Trump told Reuters ahead of a prime-time address to the nation. Asked if he was seriously considering leaving the 32-nation alliance, he said, “Oh, absolutely without question. Wouldn’t you do that if you were me?”

Trump characterized NATO, founded in 1949, as an organization that US adversaries do not take seriously. “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” he added in the Daily Telegraph interview.

The President’s comments come amid mounting tensions over US military action in Iran, which European allies have largely rejected. French President Emmanuel Macron described the strikes as “outside of international law,” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, “It’s not our war.”

Several European nations, including Italy and Spain, have barred US warplanes from landing at their bases and flying through their airspace, as Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz push global oil prices higher. Trump expressed frustration with the allies, stating they should “go to the Strait and just take it” and added that they should either buy US crude or “go get your own oil.”

By Vafa Guliyeva