Trump threatens NATO exit over Strait of Hormuz
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- Trump told The Telegraph on Wednesday that US NATO membership was "beyond reconsideration" because allies would not help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, his strongest rebuke of the alliance to date.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News the US will reexamine its NATO relationship once the Iran war ends, and US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Trump is "reevaluating" membership on Newsmax.
- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is heading to Washington next week, a signal of allied concern as European policymakers said Trump's threats alone are badly weakening the alliance.
- The US accounts for roughly 60 percent of alliance defense spending, with Canada and Europe contributing $574 billion to the $1.4 trillion total in 2025.
- Poland's Foreign Ministry posted on X that allies should treat a US NATO withdrawal "as a possible scenario and take it seriously," while a European diplomat told The Hill the best response is to build Europe's capacity to carry NATO operations without Washington.
- NATO has been battered since Trump's second term began over tariffs, lethal aid for Ukraine, and his demand that Denmark cede Greenland — one European diplomat compared the cycle to "Groundhog Day."
Why it matters: An official US exit would require congressional approval, but even the threat is already shifting allied behavior: Poland publicly urged contingency planning and diplomats told The Hill Europe must prepare to run NATO operations without Washington. With the US carrying 60 percent of alliance defense spending, any erosion of that commitment forces the remaining 31 members to absorb a structural burden overnight.
