Lawmakers from both sides took a cautious approach by including provisions in the annual defense policy bill that restrict a president’s authority to withdraw the US from NATO. This measure received bipartisan support.
During a recent campaign rally, President Trump proudly shared an anecdote about a conversation he had with a NATO leader.
He expressed his willingness to let Russia have more freedom in dealing with member countries that have not met their defense spending obligations.
One of the fundamental principles of NATO is that member countries are expected to come to each other’s defense in the event of an attack.
President Joe Biden criticized Donald Trump for jeopardizing NATO’s Russia policy. Biden called Trump the first president to “bow down” to a Russian ruler “dumb,” “shameful,” “dangerous,” and “un-American.”
In light of Trump’s statements and House Republicans’ opposition to Ukraine funding, NATO and European diplomats are getting concerned.
Trump has complained about NATO’s perceived contribution-benefit mismatch even before his administration.
Peter Bergen, CNN’s national security expert, believes Trump’s ultimate objective has always been to leave NATO, a post-World War II alliance against the Soviet Union and communism.
In an upcoming book, Jim Sciutto mentions a former Trump and Biden official who sees the US leaving NATO if Trump wins.
At a 2018 NATO meeting, Trump nearly left the alliance, Sciutto said. Though ambitious, Trump has credited his strong language in pressuring NATO member countries to raise their budgets.
Legal Hurdles Await Trump if He Withdraws from NATO
If Trump wins the 2024 election and withdraws from NATO, he will face legal issues.
A new legislation prohibits the president from withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty without a Senate supermajority or congressional action.
Former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker notes that the Constitution engages the Senate in treaty ratification but not withdrawal, which might lead to a lengthy legal struggle.
A second Trump administration may make NATO “dormant,” according to Trump-aligned think groups.
Volker thinks that the president may administratively disrupt NATO in many ways. This might include cutting joint exercises, troop presence, military expenditures, or financial commitments.
A decline in US military engagement might affect NATO’s structure. Removing American generals from NATO may compel other members to contemplate nuclear deterrents.
NATO’s deterrence has relied on the US’s leadership, especially as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. If Trump is reelected and changes NATO’s dynamics, it might damage the alliance.
This decision would harm the relationship, according to Max Bergmann, head of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Future governments would need to work hard to rebuild it.
However, Sen. Marco Rubio, a proponent of the NATO exit ban, voiced optimism on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Rubio said, “I know exactly what he has done and will do with the NATO alliance,” but stressed the significance of sustaining it.
