U.S. President Donald Trump stated the United States does not need NATO, reiterating his criticism of the alliance and its allies on Wednesday.
Trump Declares U.S. Doesn’t Need NATO
Donald Trump asserted on Wednesday that the United States does not require NATO, again labeling the alliance a “paper tiger.” He also stated that some NATO allies are “very bad.”
According to media reports, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit Washington next week.
Focus on Iran and Nuclear Weapons
Trump stated, “We are almost finished with Iran. We have to hit a few more things. We have to make sure that they never, ever have a nuclear weapon.” He made these remarks during an Easter reception at the White House.
Criticism of NATO Allies’ Contributions
“We have some very good allies. We have some very bad allies in NATO. (…) We had some requests. As you know, we spend billions and billions of dollars on NATO. And when we need them… and we never need them, we didn’t need them now,” Trump continued.
“Frankly, I only asked because I wanted to see what they would do. We didn’t need them,” the U.S. President said.
Dismissing NATO’s Role in Iran
“We took apart Iran. The last thing I needed was NATO getting in the way, (…) because it’s a paper tiger,” Trump declared.
Upcoming Address and Potential Withdrawal
CNN reported, citing White House sources, that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will visit the White House next week to meet with Trump. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced in an interview with Reuters that he would consider withdrawing the United States from NATO during his evening address to the nation.
In a published interview with the British newspaper “The Telegraph,” Trump also stated he was seriously considering withdrawing the U.S. from the alliance, which he again called a “paper tiger.” The address to the nation was scheduled for 9 p.m. (3 a.m. in Poland).
Trump’s Self-Praise and European Involvement
“Tonight I’m going to give a little speech at 9. Basically, I’m going to tell everybody how great I am,” Trump said Wednesday at the Easter reception.
The U.S. President wants Europe to become involved in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which by Iranians led to a global rise in energy prices and contributed to political problems for Trump domestically.
