According to *La Repubblica*, Donald Trump cannot unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from NATO, but could cripple the alliance by withholding funding and military support.
Trump and the Future of NATO, According to Italian Press
Italian daily *La Repubblica* reported on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump cannot arbitrarily leave NATO, but could, as it added, lead to the “annihilation” of the Alliance by refusing funding and weapons.
The newspaper referred to Trump’s statements that he is considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO.
Trump Calls NATO a ‘Paper Tiger’
In an interview with the British newspaper *The Telegraph*, Trump also called the Alliance a “paper tiger.” In another statement, he said he was “disgusted with NATO.”
These last words were featured by Rome’s *La Repubblica* on the front page of its Thursday edition.
Trump’s Longstanding Discontent with NATO
The newspaper’s commentator noted: “Trump’s dislike of NATO is nothing new, and he already threatened to leave the Alliance during his first term. At the last summit in the Netherlands, member states agreed to increase military spending to 5 percent of GDP, but this was not enough to satisfy the president, who expected intervention on his behalf in Iran.”
NATO’s Defensive Mandate
The newspaper recalls that NATO is a defensive alliance, and actions in Iran do not fall within its area of operation.
NATO, Article 5, and Commitments
“It also does not need to be reminded that Article 5 on collective defense was invoked only once, to help the U.S. after September 11, 2001,” the article’s author emphasized, referring to the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks.
Trump’s Power to Undermine NATO
He also pointed out: “In reality, Trump cannot unilaterally leave NATO, because a law passed by Congress in 2023, designed to restrain him, requires the consent of the Senate by a two-thirds majority. However, he can annihilate NATO by refusing funding and weapons and invoking Article 5.”
Pressure on Europe and Ukraine
In the commentator’s opinion, reports that the U.S. president threatened European countries with cutting off arms supplies to Ukraine if they do not join a coalition to restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz are also not surprising.
Hopes for Restraint
As noted in the Roman newspaper, U.S. allies are currently hoping that – as has happened in the past – Trump will ultimately not fulfill his threats.