Overview
- Trump, who called NATO a “paper tiger” in a Wednesday interview with The Telegraph, tied his threat to European refusal to join U.S.–Israeli operations against Iran and to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
- U.S. law passed in 2024 now requires either a two‑thirds Senate vote or an act of Congress to leave NATO, and the treaty’s Article 13 delays any exit for one year after formal notice.
- Legal experts note a clash with a 2020 Justice Department opinion that favored presidential power to quit treaties, raising the prospect of court fights if the White House tried to withdraw anyway.
- Even without a formal exit, analysts warn the administration could scale back by pulling some of the roughly 68,000 U.S. troops in Europe or by removing U.S. officers from NATO command roles.
- European leaders condemned the threats, with France’s Emmanuel Macron saying daily doubt “empties” the pledge of mutual defense, and commentators urging a stronger European defense pillar after Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled a post‑Iran war review of NATO ties.