President Donald Trump will speak Wednesday with Secretary General Mark Rutte about possibly pulling the U.S. out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as fellow members of the 77-year-old military alliance have not backed the U.S. war with Iran—though Trump can’t do it without congressional approval.
Key Facts
- Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has considered withdrawing from NATO, the 32-member alliance that acts as a collective military defense for the countries under its banner.
- Trump cannot unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from NATO under a 2023 law that says withdrawal requires a two-thirds Senate approval (right now, including at least 14 Democrats supporting it) or a formal act of Congress.
- That law was co-sponsored by then Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Trump’s secretary of state, who recently told Fox News that after the war with Iran, “we are going to have to reexamine” the U.S. relationship with NATO.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This article was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
Want to see more Forbes articles on your feed? Tap here to make Forbes Australia a preferred source on Google.
Look back on the week that was with hand-picked articles from Australia and around the world. Sign up to the Forbes Australia newsletter here or become a member here.
