A bipartisan pair of senators issued a stark warning Thursday about President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from NATO, arguing that doing so would undermine American national security and fulfill adversaries’ strategic objectives.
Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, and Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said any presidential attempt to leave the alliance would play directly into the hands of Russia and China.
“Any President that contemplates attempting to withdraw from NATO is not only fulfilling Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping’s greatest dreams but would be undermining America’s own national security interests,” the senators said in a joint statement.
Why It Matters
The remarks underscored growing congressional concern over Trump’s public skepticism toward the 75-year-old alliance. Trump said Tuesday he is considering pulling the United States out of the NATO alliance, citing frustration with allies over their refusal to join the U.S. military campaign against Iran.
What To Know
A U.S. pullout could spell the end of NATO, but even as Trump signals his appetite for withdrawing, any actual exit faces formidable legal and procedural obstacles. Tillis and Shaheen pointed to congressional guardrails already in place. A bipartisan bill drafted by then-Senator Marco Rubio, now secretary of state, became law and requires congressional authorization for any presidential withdrawal from NATO. The statute prevents unilateral executive action on the matter.
“Congress will not allow the United States to withdraw from NATO,” the senators said. “That will not happen.”
The senators defended the alliance even as Trump has called its members “cowards” and leveraged every rhetorical pressure point to secure their help with a war that no ally was consulted on or asked to join.
“NATO is the strongest and most successful military alliance in history,” they said. “It promotes economic stability and protects our most important trading relationships. It is a crucial force multiplier in an increasingly dangerous world.”
Tillis, who has repeatedly clashed with Trump about the alliance, was blunter in a recent ABC interview. The president can “poison the well” by weakening NATO, he warned, but severing the relationship carries “enormous, enormous risk.” He added: “American lives have been saved by the NATO alliance, and American lives will be lost in great numbers without it.”
The senators pointed to NATO members standing by America after the September 11 attacks and fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Today, allies have increased defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, at Trump’s behest, bolstering the burden-sharing arrangement.
Where Public Stands
American public opinion on NATO remains fractured along partisan lines, though overall support remains substantial—68 percent of Americans report a favorable view of NATO, the highest percentage since the survey began in 2018, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute’s latest annual National Defense Survey.
The survey was conducted between October 23 and November 3, 2025, with 2,507 respondents.
A combined three in four Americans (74 percent) favor maintaining (48 percent) or increasing (25 percent) U.S. support for NATO. Support splits sharply along party lines. Democrats support maintaining or increasing the U.S. commitment, with 91 percent, while Republicans are at 59 percent.
Additionally, a majority of Americans believe cooperation between North American and European NATO members makes the United States safer (57 percent, up from 52 percent in 2024).
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social on Tuesday: “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.”
Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, in an ABC News interview on March 22: “American lives have been saved by the NATO alliance, and American lives will be lost in great numbers without it.”
What Happens Next
European leaders have called for the war to stop and want the United States and Iran to return to negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, which America and Israel see as a threat.
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