Leaving NATO Would Be National Self-Sabotage

“NATO serves as an essential military alliance that protects shared national interests and enhances America’s international presence.”

These are the words of Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State but then a U.S. Senator, in a statement he and I released in 2023 announcing our legislation to keep any U.S. President from withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization without congressional approval. 

That bill—which I first started working on with the late Senator John McCain in 2018—was signed into law as section 1250A of the 2024 defense bill with an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the Senate. That bipartisan legislation reflected a long-standing, robust consensus among both parties in the U.S. about NATO: that the most powerful military alliance ever assembled is an indispensable force for democracy and peace and helps keep America safe.

But under President Donald Trump, that consensus is in peril. As the alliance marked its 77th anniversary last week, Trump denigrated NATO as a “paper tiger” and intoned about trying to pull the U.S. out, the latest installment in a long series of threats to abandon the alliance. 

Regardless of how embarrassing Trump decides to make his ongoing anti-NATO temper tantrum, his hands are tied. He cannot unilaterally withdraw from NATO—my legislation with Secretary Rubio has made sure of that—but Trump’s undermining of the bipartisan pro-NATO consensus makes America and the world less safe.

Trump has been criticizing NATO for what he views as insufficient support for his war in Iran. The Iran war is an ill-advised war of choice that Trump launched without even consulting the U.S. Congress. 

NATO members have held back from joining the war because they weren’t consulted, think it’s a horrible idea, and resent that Trump’s go-it-alone actions have put additional stress on their economies already burdened by his chaotic tariff policy. 

In that respect, NATO and a majority of the American people are on the same page. Geopolitically, Trump is the guy who sucker-punched someone in a bar, blundered into a brawl, and then got annoyed when his buddies didn’t join in. 

The U.S. benefits directly and profoundly from NATO. It protects our national security and deters our adversaries. It allows us to operate from bases in allied nations, expanding our global reach and ability to respond to crises in a way that no other country in the world can do. 

And while primarily a military alliance, it has also led to economic prosperity and cultural exchange across the Atlantic. Over 964 million people live in the 32 NATO countries, and NATO member-states account for over 30% of global GDP.

In Virginia, we are proud to be home to the NATO Allied Command Transformation where U.S. servicemembers work, live, and train side-by-side with those from NATO countries—a powerful reminder of the strength of this alliance. 

Finally, NATO has served as a platform to promote democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. Leaving NATO would weaken the international rules-based order that many Americans have fought and died to protect and leave a void that China and Russia will be eager to fill.

If NATO’s critics are looking for a smoking-gun reason to abandon the alliance, an issue that has seen such dramatic and swift improvement in the past few years alone is a poor contender. In 2011, only five NATO nations met their commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense. Because of President Trump’s effective advocacy, and the growing awareness of Putin’s hostile intent toward NATO nations, today all 32 NATO member-nations meet that target. And in 2025, members agreed to raise that target to 5% within a decade.  

NATO, with the U.S. as its leading partner, has stood firm against dictators and wannabe emperors for decades. The alliance marshalled the free world to out-innovate and outlive the Soviet Union. At its best, NATO can keep that trajectory alive and stand against a volatile Russia and an ascendant China. But that choice is in America’s hands.

Trump cannot withdraw from NATO without Congress. If he tries anyway, or works to destroy NATO by other means, it will be a tragic error that will make America much less safe. 

But doing so will give Congress a chance to reassert itself as a coequal branch of government and deliver a bipartisan repudiation of Trump’s attempted act of national self-sabotage.