Americans fear that Trump is ‘trying to leave NATO’ as a major announcement looms overhead
Is a single tweet from Elon Musk all it takes for Trump to exit one of the most important military alliances?
Ahead of what sounds like a major announcement from President Donald Trump, social media users are expressing concern over what could very well be a devastating blow to U.S. foreign relations.
Trump isn’t exactly known for his sensitivity when it comes to international politics (see attached: threatening to “buy” Greenland, the entirety of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy). So it’s hardly surprising to hear that Trump’s inner circle, including his “First Buddy” Elon Musk, are publicly calling for the U.S. to withdraw from NATO — a.k.a. that pesky, 75-year-old intergovernmental alliance.
Now, Trump’s upcoming address to Congress, themed “The Renewal of the American Dream,” is starting to sound more like an American nightmare, as many are fearful that the president will use his time in the spotlight to announce the U.S.’ departure from NATO.
“Big impacts” await as Trump’s joint session of Congress draws nearer
From the get-go, Trump has been skeptical of NATO. But last week’s Oval Office skirmish with Zelenskyy and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine seems to have made him impossibly more wary of the long-standing alliance. In addition to MAGA’s “America First” rhetoric, Trump and his allies have previously bashed NATO for the misuse of its defense fund, of which the U.S. is a top spender. During a recent campaign, Trump even said that he would allow Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO members that don’t contribute enough to the pool, per ABC News.
Obviously, the consequences of this could be fatal for those living in Ukraine and beyond, as the U.S. is a powerful ally when it comes to sending aid and other resources to affected regions. Understandably, people online are frightened by the thought of Trump “trying to leave NATO,” especially on the heels of Trump’s recent Truth Social post, in which he teased: “TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!”
Isolationist rhetoric isn’t exactly uncommon when it comes to the American far-right, but this user is predicting that Trump’s rumored decision to pull out of NATO will also open the door for China to infiltrate the U.S. government and “destroy it from within.”
There’s also Trump’s beef with the nation of Canada. He and other prominent MAGA Republicans are (ironically? Unironically?) trying to make our northern neighbor the 51st state, which Canadians want absolutely no part of. “So what do you think Krasnov is going to announce?” this X user predicted ahead of Trump’s address to Congress. “Canceling aid to Ukraine? Invasion of Canada?”
Meanwhile, this individual wrote in response to the news: “That would the biggest shocking news in geopolitics since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
Regardless of how you feel about NATO and its impact on American taxpayers, I think we can all agree on one thing: why does Elon Musk — who absolutely no one elected into office, mind you — get a say in this? Is a single tweet all it takes for Trump to exit one of the most important political and military alliances? For now, I’ll be holding my breath until tomorrow, when Trump reveals to congress his big plans for reimagining the so-called “American dream” — and whether or not NATO will play a part in it.
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