Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the United States is speedily marching toward isolationism. Recently, Trump disparaged NATO and hinted at America’s wavering commitment to the organization.
“If you’re not going to pay your bills, we’re not going to defend you,” said Trump in an interview at the Oval Office. He claimed that he pressured the allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into contributing more for their defense. This isn’t necessarily rhetoric exclusive to Trump, though, as former presidents Obama and Bush also encouraged other NATO members to increase their defense spending.
“They’re friends of mine. But if the United States was in trouble, and we called them… We said, ‘France, we got a problem,’ a couple of others I won’t mention—you think they’re going to come and protect us? They’re supposed to. I’m not so sure,” indirectly referring to Article 5 of the NATO treaty. Trump acknowledged that (under Article 5) NATO members are obliged to lend aid when called upon but implied that the allies will not follow through anyway.
When asked why the U.S. should stay in NATO, the president’s answer was rather noncommittal. “I view NATO as potentially good,” Trump responded. Nevertheless, he also thinks that the alliance has been unfair to America. Throughout the interview, he repeatedly asserted that the United States spends “close to 100% of NATO.” This is false; the United States contributes 15.8% of the cost share. Germany spends just as much in contributions to NATO. France and the U.K. each contribute roughly 10%. Contributions to NATO are determined by GDP. Members are expected to pay at least 2% of their GDP. Trump reportedly wants that threshold raised to 5%, though the U.S. currently pays roughly 3.4%.
Trump’s doubt-filled remarks frustrated social media users. One X user wrote, “Lies upon lies. Should be illegal to lie to your country.”
Another social media user raised, “All he does is lie. The only Article 5 for NATO was post 9/11, called by the USA.”
Alliances for sale
Article 5 of NATO states that an attack on North America or European member states “shall be considered an attack against them all.” In light of the September 11, 2001 attack, 51 member states—both NATO allies and partner nations—participated in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from 2003 to 2014. 9/11 was the first and only time Article 5 was invoked, and NATO allies showed up for the United States. Even non-member states joined the cause and supported the United States.
All in all, Trump’s doubts about NATO allies are largely unfounded. Nevertheless, this comment is just one among many with which Trump has angered the United States’ historical allies. As one social media user pointed out, “NATO was built to deter threats, not turn into a pay-to-play club. Are we really going to put price tags on alliances?”
Warring with traditional allies
During the first months of his second term, Trump has antagonized many of the United States’ most important allies. Aside from targeting Canada and Mexico economically and continuously implying Canada will become the 51st state, Trump has also been eager to compromise with Russia at Ukraine’s expense, making relations with the EU and the rest of Europe more fraught. He described Ukraine as “difficult to deal with” while trying to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. He has repeatedly commented that Ukraine doesn’t “have the cards” while attempting to normalize ties with the aggressor state.
Undoubtedly, an alliance with the United States is now, more than ever, transactional. The bigger question is whether, given its drastic shift in foreign policy, the United States will hold up its end of the bargain if and when the time comes.
Published: Mar 9, 2025 12:08 pm