What will happen if US pulls out of NATO as Trump ‘seriously considers it’

Donald Trump has announced that he is ‘strongly considering’ pulling the United States out of NATO.

Speaking to The Telegraph in a new interview, the 79-year-old US President was asked if he would think twice about America's membership of the political and military alliance, after the conflict in the Middle East is over.

His response was: "I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration."

The world leader brutally added, "I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."

He also slammed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and hit out at Britain's military after the refusal to back America in the war with Iran.

“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he said.

Trump's words came just hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that the US will ‘re-examine’ its relationship with NATO.

Donald Trump is 'strongly considering' pulling America out of NATO (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The official told Fox News: "If now we have reached a point where the NATO alliance means we can’t use those bases to defend America’s interests, then NATO is a one-way street.

"If NATO is simply about us having troops in Europe to defend Europe, but when we need them to allow us to use their military bases, their answer is no – then why are we in NATO?”

And during a cabinet meeting last week, Trump said the war in Iran is a 'loyalty test' and hit out at NATO allies for not stepping up.

As reported by C-SPAN, he demanded: “They weren’t there. So if there’s ever a big one … I don’t think they’re going to be there.”

What would happen if Trump pulls the US out of NATO?

So, if he sticks to his word and pulls America out of NATO, what exactly would happen?

Firstly, for context, NATO, aka the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a political and military alliance made up of 32 members that was established in 1949.

As per its website, the core purpose of NATO 'is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries and their one billion people'.

Its members are also 'committed to protecting each other from any threat'.

A 2024 article in Modern Diplomacy outlines that if allies and partners of the US can’t count on them to be there, America will lose access to many military bases around the globe.

Experts explain that the US needs 'bases around the world,' as 'without friendly ports, the United States Navy doesn’t look so much like a blue water force but rather a green water navy that can only operate closer to America’s shores'.

NATO is a defensive alliance with the purpose of safeguarding the freedom and security of its member countries (Getty Stock Image)

"Our bombers couldn’t reach targets halfway around the world without support from allies," the article outlines.

While America can, of course, survive on its own, the US could also lose access to global markets, and it's reportedly likely that buyers for US arms will dry up, having an impact on the economy.

And as reported by EJIL:Talk!, while the 1951 agreement doesn't explicitly state that US withdrawal would terminate it, the wording 'strongly implies that continued participation in the NATO framework is essential to its operation'.

In 2023, the US Congress passed legislation requiring congressional permission for any withdrawal from NATO. So, there have been worries that NATO could fall altogether, in a worst-case scenario.

But, as a matter of law, the treaty should remain in force for the other 31 members, despite a US departure profoundly affecting the alliance.

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