Trump Signals Possible NATO Withdrawal If Re-Elected in 2024

Trump's possible NATO withdrawal tied to demands for increased defense spending from non-American members, revisiting collective defense principle; move decried by critics for weakening global stability and echoing past alignment with Putin's interests, as former president seeks to staff potential second administration with anti-NATO allies.

Former President Donald Trump has indicated that if re-elected in 2024, he may consider pulling the U.S out of NATO if the organization does not meet his demands. His demands include increased defense spending from non-American members and a reconsideration of the bedrock principle of collective defense, as reported by Salon and Rolling Stone.
Trump has reportedly expressed his desire to staff any potential second administration with individuals who are not 'NATO lovers', as cited by multiple sources who've heard him make similar statements.
The Biden campaign has fiercely criticized these potential moves, arguing that they undermine America's strength on the global stage, threaten national security, and reflect Trump's past alignments with dictators, as per the statement released by Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa.
Experts, like Dr. Aaron Stein, a Black Sea Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, have called Trump's plans 'tremendously stupid' and 'silly,' arguing they demonstrate a fundamental ignorance about broader U.S. national security.
Trump’s potential anti-NATO stance has been supported by a few GOP candidates, including Vivek Ramaswamy, a largely self-funded candidate with no previous political experience, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Legislation passed by the Senate would prohibit any future president from withdrawing from NATO without the approval of two thirds of the Senate, potentially complicating any attempts Trump might make to withdraw from the organization. However, it could not prevent a future administration from undermining the U.S. security guarantees implicit in the alliance.