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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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Two senators, including Republican Mitch McConnell, issued a warning to President Donald Trump on Wednesday after he suggested the United States could withdraw from NATO.
In a joint statement, McConnell and Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said the bloc was the most "successful military alliance in history," in an apparent rebuttal to Trump's ongoing disparagement of the organization.
“Alliance disputes are as old as the alliance itself. Americans are safer when NATO is strong and united," the senators wrote. "It is in our interest for all allies to tend this unity with care."
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McConnell is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, while Coons is the ranking member.
Why It Matters
McConnell and Trump have long had an on-again, off-again relationship, with the senator having helped deliver key wins for the president in his first term while also being openly critical of some of Trump's actions—particularly in the wake of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. When it comes to NATO and wider world affairs, McConnell has remained a staunch interventionist, which clashes with Trump's overall message of "America first."
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What To Know
The message from McConnell and Coons came Wednesday after Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio floated the idea, once more, of the U.S. withdrawing from NATO.
“The only time NATO has gone to war has been in response to an attack on America," the pair said in the bloc's defense. "NATO troops fought and died in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside American forces. The United States must not take this sacrifice–nor our allies’ commitment to make it again–lightly."
The U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran, now well into its fifth week, has strained relations between Washington and its European allies in NATO, drawing criticism even from Trump's right-wing political ally, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Trump is a longtime critic of NATO, although European pledges to drastically increase defense spending and lean less on the U.S. in June 2025 appeared to ease concerns that he could pull America from the alliance.
Transatlantic relations dipped again when the U.S. insisted it would take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of NATO member Denmark, despite a horrified reaction from European officials.
NATO leaders have repeatedly said the alliance is not involved in the Iran war, with many of its members distancing themselves from the conflict that began when U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran on February 28. Trump has said that the U.S. will remember the lack of involvement from fellow NATO members.
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."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, when asked about Trump's comment: "Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I am going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions I make."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Fox News on Tuesday: "Why are we in NATO? You have to ask that question. Why do we send trillions of dollars and have all of these American forces stationed in the region, if in our time of need, we won't be allowed to use those bases?"
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on X on Wednesday: "I can promise this: The Senate will not vote to leave NATO and abandon our allies just because Trump is upset they wouldn’t go along with his reckless war of choice. Thank you to @SecRubio for sponsoring the bill in 2023 requiring a two thirds vote of the Senate to make sure clueless presidents couldn’t act on a whim."
What Happens Next
The president would likely face significant legislative hurdles to actually leave NATO. Meanwhile, allies in Europe have called on the U.S. and Israel to end the war with Iran.
Update 4/1/26, 4:02 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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