Trump questioned the readiness of Washington's NATO allies to come to the aid of the United States if necessary.
“I just wonder if NATO would come to our aid if we needed them. I'm not sure they would“, the US head of state said in a comment on whether he was considering withdrawing the US from NATO. “We spend a lot of money on NATO. And I'm not sure they would help us“, the US prime minister repeated.
He refused to answer directly when asked whether he would feel comfortable in a situation where NATO would effectively cease to exist if Washington used force to annex Greenland.
“I'm the one who saved NATO“, the US leader said. In this regard, he recalled the commitments made by the alliance members under his pressure to increase defense spending. “NATO would not exist if I were not president“, Trump said. He added that “NATO could be upset“, if Washington decided to leave the bloc. "It would save a lot of money," Trump said, without specifying whether he meant possible cuts in US military spending or those of its NATO partners.
"Right now, if you look at NATO, we have a very good relationship," the president stressed.
Some of his political opponents have previously made allegations that Trump has repeatedly seriously considered withdrawing the US from NATO. Statements of this kind have recently been made mainly by John Bolton, who was Trump's national security adviser during his first administration (2018-2019). Bolton has subsequently become one of Trump's most vocal critics.