Trump threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO. Here’s why his comments are significant

U.S. President Donald Trump says he plans to declare mission accomplished in Iran soon, while continuing to criticize NATO. Joy Malbon reports.

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at the NATO once again, threatening to pull the United States out of the defensive alliance.

Trump voiced his frustrations with NATO again, telling the British-based newspaper The Telegraph on Wednesday that he’s strongly considering pulling out of the military alliance. He called the alliance “a paper tiger” and said the decision is, “beyond reconsideration.”

The president says he is angry that America’s allies have not been more help in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

This comes after France, Spain and Italy recently denied airspace and military support to the U.S., causing Trump to lash out through a series of Truth Social posts and to reporters. He singled out British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him “No Winston Churchill.”

Starmer pushed back Wednesday saying Britain remains a strong and reliable ally but, “this is not our war. We will not be drawn into the conflict.”

How will NATO recover?

Trump did not consult America’s NATO allies before initiating war with Iran, but expected them to come to his aid to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, the price of oil and energy around the world has risen, creating pain at the pump for consumers and even threatening a global recession.

The war is not the first time Trump has voiced issues with the NATO alliance. When he was first elected in 2016, Trump expressed frustrations that countries, including Canada, were apparently not paying their fair share for mutual defence. At the time, he claimed that America was being ripped off by “free riders.”

Without the force of the U.S. military, NATO’s defence would weaken under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that “an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.”

The departure of the U.S. military from the alliance could possibly leave Europe vulnerable to threats like Russia and shift the global power balance towards China and Russia.

Can the U.S. pull out of NATO?

NATO’s treaty allows any member to leave after giving one year’s notice. But Trump would face big time pushback from U.S. Congress. While the president has mused he could bypass Congressional approval, analysts say it would no doubt trigger a legal challenge and constitutional showdown should he try.