US President Donald Trump has described the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as a “paper tiger” and said he is considering pulling the United States out of the alliance after it refused to support the US in the ongoing war against Iran.
Gatekeepers News reports that in an interview with The Telegraph published Wednesday, Trump criticised NATO allies for failing to send warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway responsible for about 20 percent of the world’s oil exports, which has been effectively closed due to the conflict.
“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO,” Trump said. “I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”
Trump singled out the United Kingdom, criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer for Britain’s refusal to back the US.
“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he said.
This is not Trump’s first critique of the alliance. In January, he claimed the US had “never needed” NATO allies and dismissed their contributions during the 20-year Afghanistan conflict, remarks that drew sharp rebukes from European leaders, including Starmer.
