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News & Current Events Apr 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM

Can Trump pull the US out of Nato – and why is he considering it?

Posted by guardian


Can Trump pull the US out of Nato – and why is he considering it?
the Guardian
Can Trump pull the US out of Nato – and why is he considering it?
The US president hinted at leaving the military alliance as he wages war on Iran with little support from allies

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Stranger-Sun Apr 1, 2026 +1
He's considering it because he's a corrupt Russian asset and he's very stupid. Answered one question.
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EnvironmentalLock440 Apr 1, 2026 +1
You left out the fact that he's an idiot.
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ElPlywood Apr 1, 2026 +1
1st question: he can't 2nd question: because he is the stupidest shitbag on earth
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barryvm Apr 1, 2026 +1
> 2nd question: because he is the stupidest shitbag on earth It's also malice. He made a colossal blunder and his first instinct is how to blame it on someone else and make problems for someone else. If he was just stupid he would flail around randomly. There's a pattern to it though, as he always lashes out at democracies.
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molstern Apr 1, 2026 +1
He's setting up a stab-in-the-back explanation for why his plans result in idiotic disasters when put into practice. It was all NATO's fault; if only NATO had been willing to do its duty and protect Americans from the consequences of their actions then Iran would have been dislodged from the strait
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barryvm Apr 1, 2026 +1
Exactly. This is what most of the press reports seem to miss. He didn't actually think NATO would help him and even if it did he would act in exactly the same way. He didn't even spuriously trigger Article 5. It's just that he made a catastrophic blunder and is now looking for someone to blame and something to distract people with. Because, no matter what happens, he can't be the one to blame. A demented narcissist is making foreign policy based on his own fragile ego, boundless stupidity and rampant criminality, and no one in the USA stops him.
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3Suze Apr 1, 2026 +1
You are right - in 2023 Marco Rubio wrote a bill that restricted 2/3 congressional approval to exit NATO with large bipartisan support. Trump can, however, refuse to cooperate with NATO, financially support, and participate in group efforts. If Trump does any of this it is a waiting game for NATO. We have got to put MAGA in the rear view (and/or hope that cholesterol and inactivity works its magic on our POTUS)
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forthewatch39 Apr 1, 2026 +1
Two reasons. One is to help Russia and the second reason is that they clowned him. I’m leaning more towards the latter being the bigger reason these days. Trump loathes anything he sees as “disrespect”. He feels he is entitled to certain things and when told no, he lashes out. 
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tlenze Apr 1, 2026 +1
Yep. He's angry because he shit on the floor and NATO won't clean up his mess.
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JFJinCO Apr 1, 2026 +1
He's been threatening to do that since his first trip to Russia in 1987. Odd timing for his first foray into politics... [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ilanbenmeir/that-time-trump-spent-nearly-100000-on-an-ad-criticizing-us](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ilanbenmeir/that-time-trump-spent-nearly-100000-on-an-ad-criticizing-us)
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OrangeTwitler Apr 1, 2026 +1
Nothing to see here. Just a deeply disturbed, vindictive, petulant, and increasingly demented malignant narcissist, who is deservedly regarded with the utmost scorn by the civilized world, throwing a temper tantrum.
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grumpyjanner1 Apr 1, 2026 +1
So does this mean that any host nation could evict them from any bases they occupy?
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Spamgrenade Apr 1, 2026 +1
Yes, if the USA left NATO they would lose all their European and European territory bases which would seriously degrade global projection.
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domiran Apr 1, 2026 +1
We need to be just as mad at the Republicans in congress who refuse to kick him out. He's quite clearly actively making the country worse and those with the power to stop him *now* are doing nothing. IMO the No Kings protests (or any protests, really) should also be putting pressure on the just as shitty politicians. Pin the blame on them for every vile thing Trump does because they have done nothing to stop him.
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Emotional-Age-7618 Apr 1, 2026 +1
Because his master putin told him to it’s that simple
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lasers42 Apr 1, 2026 +1
It was the goal all along. An important payback for his foreign benefactors.
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VektroidPlus Apr 1, 2026 +1
At this point, it's a rhetorical question. He's a f****** man child who loathes anyone who humiliates him. That's it. All this "Russian asset" bullshit makes it seem more logical, but we know that he just kisses Putin's ass because he wishes he could be like him. It gives Trump more authority making it seem like he's competent, which he is not. He needs congress to leave NATO, but the damage is already done. Our allies and the rest of the world are sitting there wondering what the hell is going on in the US and are exploring ways they can be self sufficient without the US. That is something is going to take probably an entire generation worth of repair and good favor to ever get back to good standings with anyone. Meanwhile, we are going to suffer economically for a very long time thanks to President Shits-His-Pants, who didn't have the grace to die during covid.
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guyincognito365 Apr 1, 2026 +1
I read Biden made it hard for him to do it before he left office cause they were afraid he would do this if he won.
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TigerGrizzCubs78 Apr 1, 2026 +1
Rubio co-authored the bill back in 2023.
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guardian Apr 1, 2026 +1
*From The Guardian:* After years of attacking its efficacy and assailing its members as spendthrift freeloaders, Donald Trump now appears on the very threshold of doing the once unthinkable: withdrawing the US from Nato. Such a move would signal a political earthquake for the western security architecture established in the aftermath of the second world war and which endured cold war confrontation with the Soviet Union before expanding after the demise of eastern European communism in 1989. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the alliance’s formal name, was set up in 1949 with an initial core of 12 members – including the US, Britain, France, Canada and Denmark – and has since expanded to include 32 countries. Its initial purpose was to provide a bulwark against Soviet communism, then deemed to be aggressively expansionist. But it was also underpinned by a recognition that an absence of collective security had been key to the failure to deter Hitler in the 1930s, as Nazi Germany steadily annexed territory before the second world war. [*You can read our full explainer about Trump and Nato for free at this link.*](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/01/trump-nato-explainer?referring_host=Listnook&utm_campaign=guardianacct)
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Theferael_me Apr 1, 2026 +1
The US as a reliable member of NATO has been over for a long time. It's over. Crying about it will solve nothing. The rest of NATO needs to start planning what happens going forward.
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Titrifle Apr 1, 2026 +1
If the US left NATO it's forward bases would be pushed back thousands of miles and their ability to project force diminished. The current war is run from Rammstein in Germany. Doing what they do now would require forever wars to maintain logistical nodes, make fighting vastly more expensive, amid a lack of information on terrorist and cyber threats. Then there's the loss to the military industrial complex of the US, which will electorally bankroll any candidates who support getting into NATO 2.0. So trump can sulk and spit his pacifier out and throw his toys out of the stroller, but the US ain't quitting NATO.
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ArtichokeAware9849 Apr 1, 2026 +1
Can he? NO. Will Congress do anything to stop him? NO. Maybe Congress (all 538of them) ought to show up and do their job rather than going to Disney.
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Andovars_Ghost Apr 1, 2026 +1
Quite frankly, if I were NATO, I’d want the U.S. out. We’re a liability now more than an asset.
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PriorityIll2834 Apr 1, 2026 +1
Trump is just one big wrecking ball.
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jjaime2024 Apr 1, 2026 +1
As it is now if the States invaded Greenland or Canada some would question how much NATO would help.If the States pulls out and invaded NATO would be all in.
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One_Disaster_5995 Apr 1, 2026 +1
He just wants everyone to bow before him. Classic bully behaviour. The man just wasn't loved ánd beaten enough as a child. Spoiled obnoxious brat - and stupid to boot.
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Adreme Apr 1, 2026 +1
He can’t.  Reason he is talking about it: gas is $4 and he needs a distraction and he knows the media will bite. 
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Business_Boat3201 Apr 1, 2026 +1
It doesn’t matter what he can or can’t do. He just does whatever he wants.
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Passionpet Apr 1, 2026 +1
Good. The U.S. should not be leading the free world. Their leaders are spineless and the people are not to be trusted. Look at what they inflicted on the rest of the world TWICE. The rabble would rather throw a temper tantrum then vote for a candidate that would prevent the rise of a fascist. As a world citizen I say we look to China and let the Americans toss themselves into the dust bin too history.
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snokegsxr Apr 1, 2026 +1
who will get poland then? germany or russia?
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g2g079 Apr 1, 2026 +1
He can't but he can certainly destroy the relationship to make our involvement effectively useless.
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TimArthurScifiWriter Apr 1, 2026 +1
If it turns out that he can then he's not just pulling the US out of NATO he's also effectively proving that the senate is a powerless institution in the face of autocracy. A historic fate for senates in general, but still unfortunate.
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MrPatienceX Apr 1, 2026 +1
This is what passes for a negotiating tactic in 4d chess. Nobody is falling for it any more. (4d chess is the version where you see how many pawns you can shove up your nose)
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Heliosvector Apr 1, 2026 +1
No, and who cares
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Wonderful-Pause1048 Apr 1, 2026 +1
you don‘t obviously
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Heliosvector Apr 1, 2026 +1
Do you? Do you care that NATO countries aren't coming to trumps aide in Iran? That's all I meant, because that's the only reason he is posturing to leave right now
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Rare_Paper4473 Apr 1, 2026 +1
Short answer: Yes. Totally. It doesn't matter "He can't, because it'd be such a violation of decorum and precedent- He "couldn't": Change the Gulf Of Mexico to Gulf of America, deploy ICE to cities, do mass deportations, bomb Iran, bomb Iran again, cut off aid to Ukraine, impose tarrifs, impose tarrifs after the Supreme Court shut them down, deploy ICE to airports, deploy ICE to polling stations, restrict voting, gerrymander districts, use taxpayer money for a ballroom, use taxpayer money for golf trips- To name a few, "He can't do that!"'s Stop coping. Don't try burying yourself with fake postivity that this time, THIS TIME, it would clearly be such a violation of decorum that he would have no choice but to go "Ooooh darn!" and not do it. You have literally nothing to show for it. Edit: Someone is going to bring up how "but some of those challenges failed in court, dohohoh!" before...they just proceeded to keep doing the thing anyway, so what does it matter?
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