Donald Trump has suggested he has no interest in continuing with NATO and may even pull the United States out of the intergovernmental organization.
The president has done much to anger the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's members this year, strongly implying he would take Greenland by force if necessary. His administration's strikes on Iran last month marked another contentious point for the president and his relationship with NATO, as he called on member nations to back the war.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Trump said, “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."
Trump went on to use the war in Ukraine as an example of where he felt the US had been let down by NATO members and other governments.
Trump added, "Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey’, you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic.
"We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us."
The president's comments on NATO follow on from Secretary of State Marco Rubio denouncing the intergovernmental organization.
In an interview with Hashem Ahelbarra of Al Jazeera, the Donald Trump appointee criticized the NATO alliance for not backing the US war on Iran, and then stated, “I think it was very disappointing. You have this – and again, look, the President and our country will have to reexamine all of this after this operation is over."
"But one of the reasons why NATO is beneficial to the United States is it gives us basing rights for contingencies. It allows us to station troops and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’t normally have bases, and that includes in much of Europe.”
“Vladimir Putin, [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov, [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio and Donald Trump, all desperately working to try to hold up a man's political career who works day and night to undermine western democracy, and to help Vladimir Putin, and that of course is Orbán, who has an election coming up,” Scarborough said. “Right now, both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are freaking out that Orbán, this illiberal thug, might actually lose!”
Scarborough went on to issue a plea to Republicans – notably Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who on Tuesday boasted about a clay pigeon shooting trip he took to Edgefield County, South Carolina – to intervene in Trump’s efforts to secure a victory for Orbán, which include a public endorsement and direct pleas to Hungarians.
“Wake up, Republicans!” Scarborough said. “Maybe take a break from shooting clays in Edgefield County and actually be a patriot and push back on the president supporting an illiberal thug who's helping Vladimir Putin.”
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"Nobody knows in the end what he's really thinking," said one senior adviser.
"They had a plan for the first week and since then, they are making the plan up as they go along," added a former U.S. official.
Some administration officials and outside allies argue the ambiguity is intentional. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who recently spoke with Trump, told Axios: "That's the plan — for you to not have a clue." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this sentiment, stating the objective is to remain "unpredictable." An unnamed official characterized the strategy as "12-dimensional" chess, claiming Trump deliberately contradicts himself to obscure his intentions.
Current signals suggest Trump may be preparing to withdraw and declare victory within two to three weeks. He has repeatedly discussed U.S. success and potential exit scenarios. However, his private conversations increasingly focus on hawkish advisers like Graham and conservative commentator Mark Levin rather than those cautioning against escalation.
The contradictions are apparent in simultaneous actions: Trump discusses exit strategies while simultaneously massing additional forces in the region, including potential invasion capabilities. Officials speculate that if an April 6 deadline passes without a negotiated settlement, Trump may authorize heavy bombing of Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities before withdrawing.
Regional allies like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worry about leaving Iran weakened but unbowed.
"The Saudis sound like Mark Levin," one Trump adviser said. "They want the U.S. to finish the job by wiping Iran off the globe now. We don't want to."
Additional complications include unresolved challenges regarding the Strait of Hormuz and potential ongoing "mowing the grass" operations — periodic strikes conducted after major combat concludes.
"The president said early on we might have to come back," another administration official said, "and we might have to. If we have to mow the lawn again, the grass won't be nearly as tall next time."
Trump is scheduled to address the nation on Iran Wednesday evening, potentially offering the clarity his own advisers and international partners desperately seek.
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“Uhhhhh guys. What's going on?” wrote another in response to the news, X user “Elections Joe,” a political commentator with more than 20,000 followers.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a “rare national address,” urged Australians early Wednesday morning to switch to public transport and to prepare for difficult times as a result of the ongoing Iran conflict, which has sent oil prices soaring. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a similar address Wednesday, warning Britons of an impending “crisis.”
And the White House revealed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would be addressing the nation Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET to provide “an important update” on his administration’s war against Iran.
“This seems coordinated,” wrote academic and author Sunny Singh in a social media post on X, reacting to the news of three world leaders issuing major addresses on the same day.
“This reminds me of March, 2020,” wrote Aidan Simardone, a Canadian immigration lawyer, in a social media post on X, referencing the brief time period leading up to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
And X user “Rational Aussie,” a popular political commentator who’s amassed more than 33,000 followers,
speculated that the multi-national address could be an effort to “get ahead of incredibly bad news that will follow shortly.”
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