April 1, 2026 / 3:21 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — President Trump says he’s considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO after years of criticizing alliance members for not paying enough for their own defense and, more recently, for what he sees as insufficient support during the war with Iran.
A 2023 law, pushed in part by now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio, bars the president from withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty without the Senate’s consent or an act of Congress. That statute may not stop Mr. Trump from attempting to leave the 77-year-old alliance, however, and any unilateral move would likely prompt legal challenges.
What is NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a defensive alliance formed in 1949 to protect the U.S., Canada and Europe after World War II. It began with 12 members and has grown to 32, most recently admitting Finland in 2023 and Sweden in 2024. NATO’s core principle is Article 5, which treats an attack on one ally as an attack on all.
Why has Trump suggested leaving NATO?
Mr. Trump has long attacked NATO members over defense spending, calling allies unreliable and arguing the U.S. shoulders too much of the burden. While campaigning in 2024, he pressured allies to boost defense budgets and pledged not to withdraw if they paid their fair share; members subsequently agreed to a significant increase in spending.
Tensions rose again during the Iran war as several NATO allies denied the U.S. use of airspace or bases and resisted calls to send ships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Asked by Britain’s Telegraph whether he’d reconsider U.S. membership in NATO after the Iran war, Mr. Trump said it’s “beyond reconsideration” and called the alliance a “paper tiger.” He told Reuters he is “absolutely” considering an attempt to exit the alliance. The president has also told reporters he believes he can act alone — “I don’t need Congress for that decision,” and “I can make that decision myself.”
Rubio, who helped sponsor the 2023 provision as a senator, echoed the need to reexamine the alliance, telling Fox News that the U.S. must reassess whether NATO “is now become a one-way street” if it cannot use bases in Europe during the conflict. Rubio said the relationship will be reexamined after the conflict and that ultimately the president must make the decision.
Can the president pull the U.S. out of NATO?
NATO’s Article 13 allows a member to withdraw one year after giving notice of denunciation. But the 2023 provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024 — sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine and Rubio and signed by President Joe Biden — says the president “shall not suspend, terminate, denounce, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty… except by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, provided that two-thirds of the Senators present concur, or pursuant to an Act of Congress.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X that the Senate “will not vote to leave NATO and abandon our allies just because Trump is upset they wouldn’t go along with his reckless war of choice.” The Senate Democratic caucus and many Senate Republicans are expected to oppose any such move.
Some legal experts argue a president could cite executive authority to try to sidestep the law, a step that would almost certainly prompt litigation and a legal battle over constitutional powers.
What could happen if the U.S. doesn’t formally withdraw?
Even without an official exit, critics warn a hostile U.S. posture could weaken NATO. The U.S. has already reduced its role in some military exercises while pressing Europeans to increase spending. Concerns have arisen that the U.S. might not honor Article 5 commitments or continue to extend its nuclear deterrent to allies.
Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, noted that while the president cannot legally withdraw without the Senate, if NATO members “can’t trust” that the U.S. will honor Article 5, “the alliance is already broken in the way that matters most.”
Tucker Reals and Haley Ott contributed to this report.